Crimes against humanity in colonial Africa. Photo credit: northafricapost.com
African leaders are advocating for the acknowledgment of
historical injustices from the colonial period, their formal classification as
crimes, and the pursuit of reparations. The Algerian foreign minister stated
that African nations and their populations still endure significant
consequences due to the colonial actions of Western powers.
During a summit in Algiers, officials and dignitaries
assembled to advance an African Union decision, which was approved at a
gathering earlier this year and demands accountability and compensation for
those harmed by colonial rule, as reported by the Associated Press.
Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf stated that Algeria's
history under French colonial rule demonstrated the necessity of pursuing
compensation and the recovery of looted assets. He further noted that a legal
structure would guarantee that such restitution is not perceived as a
"gift or a favor."
“Africa is entitled to call for a formal and unequivocal
acknowledgment of the offenses perpetrated against its populations throughout
the colonial era, an essential initial move toward addressing the repercussions
of that period, for which African nations and communities still bear a heavy
cost through isolation, marginalization, and underdevelopment,” stated Attaf.
Global agreements and laws enacted by the majority of
nations forbid actions including slavery, torture, and apartheid. As reported
by the Associated Press, the United Nations Charter forbids the acquisition of
territory through force, though it does not directly address colonialism.
The lack of representation became a central issue during the
African Union's February summit. At the gathering, heads of state deliberated
on a draft plan to formulate a collective stance regarding reparations and the
formal classification of colonialism as a crime against humanity.
The economic toll of colonialism on Africa is considered immense, with estimates reaching into the trillions of dollars. European nations extracted vast quantities of natural resources using frequently harsh and coercive methods.
The sale of commodities like gold, rubber, diamonds, and
various minerals generated enormous wealth for the colonizers, a process that
systematically impoverished the indigenous communities.
In recent times, nations across Africa have intensified
their calls for the repatriation of cultural artifacts taken during colonial
eras, which remain in the collections of European museums, as reported by the
Associated Press.
Minister Attaf emphasized that hosting the conference in Algeria was a deliberate choice, given the nation's history of enduring some of the harshest aspects of French colonial domination and its fierce struggle for independence from 1954 to 1962.
This legacy had profound effects, including the
extension of substantial political, economic, and social advantages to almost a
million European settlers, even though Algeria was formally integrated into
France and its citizens were drafted to serve in World War II.
Hundreds of thousands perished in the revolution within the Arab nation, where French forces engaged in the torture of detainees, the disappearance of suspects, and the destruction of villages as tactics to suppress insurgents and uphold their authority.
“On our continent, the bitter
experience that Algeria has had is a rare example, almost unparalleled in
history, in terms of its nature, logic, and practice,” Attaf stated.
Algeria's historical background has consistently influenced
its position on the contested Western Sahara, a one-time Spanish territory that
is claimed by adjacent Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front, as
reported by the Associated Press.
On Sunday, Attaf characterized this as an incomplete process
of decolonization, aligning with the African Union's official stance, even as
an increasing number of member states have endorsed Morocco's territorial
claim.
Algeria's foreign minister described Western Sahara as
"Africa's last colony" and commended the Sahrawi people's efforts
"to defend their legitimate right to self-determination, which is
confirmed and constantly reaffirmed by international law and the UN's
decolonization doctrine."
For many years, Algeria has maintained that the struggle
against colonialism must be pursued in line with international legal standards,
even as its leaders have exercised care to prevent the escalation of friction
with France, a nation where the historical memory of the conflict continues to
be a delicate political issue.
In 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron described some
historical occurrences as crimes against humanity, yet he stopped short of
offering a formal apology and encouraged Algerians to look beyond the wrongs of
history.
Mohammed Arezki Ferrad, an Algerian parliamentary
representative, stated to the Associated Press that any compensation must
extend beyond a mere symbolic gesture. He emphasized that numerous Algerian
artifacts seized by France remain unrepatriated. Among these is the "Baba
Merzoug," a cannon from the 16th century presently housed in Brest.
In early November, The Guardian covered comparable appeals
in the Caribbean, noting that a delegation from a group spearheading the push
for slavery reparations in the area is set to travel to the UK to champion the
cause.
Governments across the Caribbean are likewise urging
acknowledgment of the enduring impacts left by colonialism and slavery. They
are demanding that justice be restored by former colonial nations, which should
include formal, unreserved apologies alongside monetary reparations.
Landmark ruling finds Belgium guilty of crimes against humanity in colonial Congo—By North Africa Post in Europe
The Court of Appeals in Brussels has ruled that Belgium must
pay reparations to five women who were forcibly taken from their mothers and
put in orphanages in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) when it was still a
Belgian colony because they were victims of “systematic kidnapping” by the state.
The appellate judges thus overturned an earlier decision by
another court that too much time had elapsed for the state to be charged,
ruling that although the abductions of the five mixed-race women happened 70
years ago, they constituted crimes against humanity and were, therefore, not
subject to statutes of limitations.
“The court orders the
Belgian state to compensate the appellants for the moral damage resulting from
the loss of their connection to their mother and the damage to their identity
and their connection to their original environment,” the judgment read.
The five women fought a legal battle over some six years to
make Belgium recognize responsibility for the suffering of thousands of
mixed-race children. Known as “métis,” the children were snatched away from
their families and placed in religious institutions and homes by Belgian
authorities that ruled Congo from 1908 to 1960.
While a lower court had first dismissed their challenge in
2021, they persisted and appealed the ruling. The five women, who are now in
their 70s and 80s, filed their lawsuit in 2020 amid growing demands for Belgium
to reassess its colonial past in Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi.
