Algeria to Host International Conference on Colonial Crimes in Africa

Algeria will host a major continental gathering — the International Conference on the Crimes of Colonialism in Africa — scheduled for 30 November and 1 December 2025, in line with the African Union’s 2025 Theme of the Year: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.” The conference follows AU Assembly Decision 903 (XXXVIII) adopted in February 2025, which endorsed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s offer to convene the event.

The conference reflects Algeria’s historic legacy as a nation that endured profound suffering under colonial rule and its continued commitment to defending the dignity, memory, and rights of African peoples. Under President Tebboune’s leadership, Algeria seeks to strengthen continental efforts aimed at criminalizing colonialism, slavery, racial segregation, and apartheid as crimes against humanity — aligning with AU resolutions on historical justice and reparations.

Expected to draw ministers, jurists, historians, academics, and experts from across Africa, the Caribbean, and other regions, the conference will serve as a high-level platform to build a unified African position on reparations, restitution of cultural heritage, and the preservation of collective memory.

Deliberations will address a wide range of issues, including:

• The human and cultural toll of colonial violence

• Intergenerational trauma inflicted on African communities

• Destruction and theft of African cultural heritage

• Economic exploitation and inequitable systems inherited from colonialism

• Environmental damage, including nuclear testing conducted on African populations

• Legal frameworks for criminalizing colonialism and establishing a permanent African reparations mechanism

A central outcome of the meeting will be the adoption of the “Algiers Declaration” — a continental reference document codifying colonial crimes, recognizing their enduring impacts, and outlining Africa’s strategy for justice and reparations. Once finalized, the declaration will be submitted to the February 2026 African Union Summit for endorsement.

The initiative also aligns with broader AU efforts under the Theme of the Year 2025, which calls on Member States to advance accountability for atrocities committed during slavery, colonization, apartheid, genocide, and neo-colonialism — including mass killings, torture, arbitrary detention, resource plunder, and environmental destruction.

The AU Assembly has further approved Algeria’s proposal for the establishment of an African Day to honour the victims and martyrs of the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, and apartheid. Consultations will soon begin to determine the commemorative date.

By spearheading the conference and championing the cause of historical justice, Algeria reinforces its influential role on the continent and its long-standing commitment to promoting dignity, reparations, and the preservation of Africa’s collective memory.