Colonization: Algeria demands from France “all of its archives” -

Toufik Doudou / AP / SIPA

Algeria demands from France that it hand over "all" of the archives of the colonial period (1830-1962) concerning it, reaffirmed Monday the director of the Algerian archives, Abdelmadjid Chikhi.

The latter was commissioned in July by Algerian President Abselmadjid Tebboune to work on the memory of colonization and the Algerian War, together with the French historian Benjamin Stora.

"Algeria is claiming all of its archives, a large part of which is in France, which has always put forward false pretexts, such as the declassification of a number of archives that have been collected for several decades," said Abdelmadjid Chikhi, quoted by the official APS agency.

"The question is immutable"

"The Algerian side's demands are clear and do not require consultation," said the director of the national archives, adding that "the question is immutable because the past cannot be erased or forgotten".

"We are working to make it part of peaceful and balanced relations" to be built between the two countries, he added, during a press conference at the headquarters of public radio in Algiers.

Referring to the joint mission on memorial issues, Abdelmadjid Chikhi clarified that he had not started working with Benjamin Stora who, he said, contacted him only once by phone "to apologize for not being able to start the work together because of a report requested by President Macron on the stages and priorities of this work for the French side ”.

Report submitted to the Elysee Palace in January

Benjamin Stora was commissioned by Emmanuel Macron to "draw up a fair and precise inventory of the progress made in France on the memory of colonization and the Algerian war", with the aim of "promoting Franco-Algerian reconciliation" .

The French historian, specialist in the history of Algeria, is due to submit his report to the Elysee Palace next month.

Abdelmadjid Chikhi referred to "obstacles" to the work of Benjamin Stora, mentioning "parties in France who seek to bury the past and want us to forget it".

"There are active associations in French society claiming that we have stolen Algeria from France, and it is inconceivable", accused the Algerian archivist.

The latter also criticized the French legislation of 2006 on public archives, stipulating that they are "inalienable and imprescriptible", saying that this file "subject to negotiations, is not yet closed".

France returned to Algeria part of the archives it kept, but it kept the part relating to colonial history and which, according to it, falls under the sovereignty of the French state.

Access to the archives of the colonization, moved to France after the independence of Algeria in 1962, is one of the main demands of the Algerian veterans.

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