Algeria has called on France to take full responsibility for addressing the consequences of nuclear explosions conducted in the Algerian desert during the colonial era. This demand was made by Salah Goudjil, President of Algeria’s Council of the Nation (the upper house of parliament), as reported by Algerian radio.
“Algeria’s position is to demand that France fully assumes responsibility for eliminating the aftermath of nuclear explosions carried out by French colonizers in the Algerian desert during the colonial period,” Goudjil stated.
“The Algerian people, particularly those living in regions where these explosions occurred, continue to suffer from their harmful effects to this day,” he emphasized.
The French government officially launched its national nuclear program in 1958, achieving nuclear power status under President Charles de Gaulle. The first French atomic bomb was tested in the Sahara Desert in Algeria in February 1960.
Between 1960 and 1966, French authorities conducted over ten nuclear tests in various parts of Algeria, including underground detonations. Algeria remained a French colony from 1830 to 1962.
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Based on TASS materials