Algiers, November 30, 2025 – Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, Ahmed Ataf, asserted that Africa has every right to demand formal and explicit recognition of the crimes committed against its people during the colonial era.
In his address at the opening of the International Conference on Colonial Crimes in Africa, hosted in Algeria, Ataf emphasized that such recognition is “the least that can be expected as a necessary first step towards addressing the legacies of this era, for which African nations and peoples continue to pay a heavy price in terms of exclusion, marginalization, and underdevelopment.”
Ataf argued that Africa is justified in demanding the legal criminalization of colonialism at the international level, without ambiguity. He quoted the Algerian intellectual Frantz Fanon, stating that colonialism is not a thinking machine or a reasoning body, but rather violence in its purest form.
“Just as the international community has previously criminalized slavery and similar practices, as well as apartheid, it is now time to criminalize colonialism itself, rather than merely focusing on criminalizing some of its practices and consequences,” Ataf added.
The Foreign Minister also affirmed Africa’s right to just compensation and the return of looted property. He stated that justice cannot be achieved through empty rhetoric, false promises, and romantic goodwill, and that compensation is not a charity or favor, but a legitimate right guaranteed by all international laws and norms.
Ataf addressed the imperative of definitively eliminating colonialism, stating, “We must not overlook the necessity of completely eradicating colonialism itself. To our brothers in the last colony in Africa, Western Sahara, we extend our sincere solidarity and support as they uphold their legitimate right to self-determination, as affirmed by international legitimacy and the United Nations’ doctrine on decolonization.”
He also expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, and occupied Jerusalem, reaffirming Africa’s commitment to the words of the late Nelson Mandela, that Africa’s freedom remains incomplete without the freedom of Palestine.
