France returns to Algeria the remains of 24 resistance fighters killed during colonization

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Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in person, welcomes the skulls of 24 insurgents killed at the start of the period of French colonization this Friday at the Palace of Culture in Algiers. They arrived in the country this afternoon after having been returned by France following an official request made by the Algerian authorities in 2018. 

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These are the remains - including the skulls - of 24 leaders of the popular resistance and their fellow fighters who were transported by military aircraft this Friday to Algeria.

These insurgents were killed at the beginning of the 19th century by French troops who came to colonize their countries. They then fought and fought with all their might to defend the sovereignty of Algeria.  

Between 1838 and 1865, the fight against the French occupation caused many deaths on the Algerian side. Brave fighters are shot by the colonizers, then beheaded in retaliation.

Then, to avoid their burials becoming a symbol of resistance for the local population, their skulls are transferred to France. These mortuary remains, considered as war trophies by the French army, have been kept to date in boxes at the Musée de l'Homme in Paris.

Algeria was colonized by France from 1830 to 1962 . Almost 60 years after the country's independence, and more than 170 years after their death, the skulls of these Algerian anti-colonial fighters finally return to their native lands.

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