Attaf: Addressing the Scars of Colonialism Is “An Imperative Necessity” for Africa’s Future
✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Algiers – December 2025 – In a historically grounded address, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Attaf affirmed that confronting the enduring legacies of colonialism has become “an imperative necessity” for Africans seeking to build a future anchored in dignity, justice, and sovereignty. His declaration came as Algeria, under the high patronage of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and in partnership with the African Union, opened the International Conference on the Criminalization of Colonialism in Africa—an unprecedented platform titled “Towards Redressing Historical Injustices.”
Gathering influential leaders, thinkers, and policymakers from across the continent, the conference represents a decisive step toward full recognition of the profound and lasting violations inflicted during the colonial era. Attaf reminded attendees that the event aligns with the AU’s central theme: justice for Africans and people of African descent, an objective that requires confronting colonialism not as a closed chapter but as a living reality whose consequences continue to shape the continent.
Invoking national and continental memory, Attaf recalled the words of Revolutionary hero Didouche Mourad, whose testament—“If we fall on the battlefield, defend our memory”—embodies a moral compass guiding African struggles for truth and recognition. The minister stressed that this gathering follows in the footsteps of ancestors who resisted, endured, and ultimately triumphed, transforming resistance into revolutions and revolutions into enduring epics.
The aim, he underlined, is not to lament history but to “name things as they are,” uphold the rights of African peoples, and compel the world to assume its responsibilities. For Africa, treating the lingering effects of colonialism has become vital to forging a future grounded in honour and equality. This awakening, Attaf argued, confirms that the march towards liberation continues as long as attempts persist to erase African memory or evade clear and accountable recognition of colonial crimes.
Attaf insisted that colonialism must finally receive its rightful designation under international law: an abject, shameful reality—an imprescriptible crime that cannot be tolerated or forgotten. Far from the so-called civilizing mission once proclaimed, colonialism was a system of plunder, spoliation, and predation, violently interrupting the natural evolution of African states and forcibly excluding nations from the historical trajectory of humanity.
He described colonialism as a multilayered catastrophe—a brutal regression that expelled African nations from the world’s historical continuum. Its crimes ranged from aggression to genocide, encompassing mass atrocities still vividly remembered across the continent. Africa, he emphasized, has neither forgiven nor forgotten: the extermination of half the population of the Congo; the massacres of the Bamiléké in Cameroon; the genocidal crimes against the Herero and Nama in Namibia; and the waves of violence in Angola, Mozambique, and Madagascar.
Yet Algeria occupies a uniquely tragic place in this memory. Attaf stressed that French colonialism in Algeria was not a project of mere exploitation but one of settlement—an attempt to replace a people, erase their identity, suppress their culture, and annihilate their language. Over 132 years of domination, Algeria endured one of the longest and most violent settler colonial regimes, whose consequences continue to manifest today, including the devastating and ongoing impact of France’s nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara.
The minister reaffirmed that Africa is fully justified in demanding official recognition of colonial crimes—recognition being the indispensable first step toward addressing their lingering effects. He further argued that Africa is equally justified in calling for the international legal criminalization of colonialism itself, not merely its manifestations.
Reparations, Attaf stressed, are neither charity nor concession, but a legitimate right enshrined in international norms. Africa is right to demand the restitution of looted assets and the restoration of its stolen heritage. The time has come not only to dismantle the consequences of colonialism but to complete the eradication of colonialism itself.
In this context, Attaf reaffirmed Algeria’s unwavering support for Western Sahara, “the last colony in Africa,” whose people continue their struggle for self-determination. He extended the same solidarity to Palestine, echoing Nelson Mandela’s eternal truth: “Our freedom remains incomplete without the freedom of Palestine.”
— END —
📡🌍 | About Dzair Tube Media Group | 🌍📡
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📰 Dzair Tube is a trailblazer in Algerian digital journalism, delivering high-quality content in Arabic, French, and English. With more than 📈 500,000 daily clicks, it ranks among the most influential media platforms in the country.
🏆 Awarded the President of the Republic’s Prize for Professional Journalist in the Electronic Press category (🗓 October 22, 2022), Dzair Tube is widely recognized for its editorial excellence and integrity.
📱 Massive Digital Reach:
🔴 350,000+ YouTube subscribers
🔵 6 million+ followers across Facebook pages
📸 70,000+ Instagram followers
🎥 Operating from state-of-the-art studios, Dzair Tube broadcasts rich and diverse programming, including:
🗞 News | ⚽ Sports | 🎭 Entertainment | 🕌 Religion | 🎨 Culture
🗣️ Featuring interactive talk shows and exclusive interviews with prominent figures from politics, business, arts, and more, Dzair Tube serves as a key platform for public discourse and civic engagement.
📰 Its print sports daily, “Dzair Sport,” enjoys over 50,000 daily downloads via the official website—further cementing the platform’s multimedia leadership.
🎖️ Honored with the Media Leadership Award by the former Minister of Communication, Mohamed Laâgab, and celebrated at the Hilals of the Television awards, Dzair Tube continues to lead with innovation, influence, and impact.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🌐 Stay Connected:
🔗 Website: www.dzair-tube.dz
🔗 English: www.dzair-tube.dz/en
📲 Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
