Algeria is set to host the International Conference on the
Crimes of Colonialism in Africa between November 30 and December 1, a major
continental event convened in line with an AU Assembly decision adopted earlier
this year.
The decision endorsed Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s offer to host the conference, aligned with the AU Theme of the Year 2025: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.”
According to an information note shared with the media, the
conference underscores Algeria’s historic legacy as a nation affected by
colonialism. The meeting, it added, reflects its ongoing commitment to
defending the dignity, memory, and rights of African peoples.
“Under President Tebboune, Algeria is working to strengthen
collective reflection and action aimed at criminalizing colonialism, slavery,
racial segregation, and apartheid as crimes against humanity in line with the
relevant recommendations of the African Union,” the note said.
One of the key anticipated outcomes of the two-day meeting is the adoption of the “Algiers Declaration”, intended to serve as a continental reference for the codification of colonial crimes, recognition of their impacts, and the formulation of an African strategy for justice and reparations. The Declaration is expected to be submitted for consideration and endorsement at the African Union Summit in February 2026.
The conference will convene ministers, jurists, historians, academics, and experts from across Africa, the Caribbean, and other regions of the world. Delegates will seek to consolidate a unified African position on historical justice, reparations, the restitution of cultural heritage, and the preservation of collective memory.
Discussions are expected to tackle a broad spectrum of issues, including the human, cultural, economic, environmental, and legal legacies of colonialism.
Key focus areas will include intergenerational trauma, the spoliation and destruction of African cultural heritage, the exploitation of natural resources under colonial economic systems, and environmental consequences, including nuclear testing conducted on African populations.
Legal frameworks enabling the strengthening of the criminalization of colonialism and the establishment of permanent African mechanisms for reparations and restitution will also form a critical part of the deliberations.
As the host and initiator, Algeria aims to provide a high-level platform for advancing international recognition of colonial crimes and fostering concrete mechanisms for reparative action.
Through the conference, Algeria reiterates its decisive role
within the AU in championing the continent’s aspirations for justice,
reparations, and the preservation of historical memory.
This, it says, reaffirms its commitment to building a future informed by the lessons and injustices of the colonial era.
