“Let us all agree to die a little so that the people still under colonial rule may be free and African unity may not become a vain word,” Algeria’s first president, Ahmed Ben Bella after defeating France in a century plus revolution said in May 1963, during the Founding Summit of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
As African government ministers, policy makers, scholars, historians and other fighters against colonialism make their way to Algeria’s capital Algiers this weekend for a two-day summit to push for justice over colonial crimes, this seems to be the determining driving force.
And similarly, for the hundreds of delegates from Africa and the Caribbean – who will assemble in Algeria between today and tomorrow (November 30-December 1, 2025) – the words of South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela during a live concert in Edinburgh, Scotland in July 2005, seems to inspire their journeys to the Maghreb powerhouse’s capital.
“Of course, the task will not be easy. But not to do this would be a crime against humanity, against which I ask all humanity now to rise up,” Mandela said.
Under the Africa Union (AU) Africans and peoples of African descent from the Caribbean islands have recently intensified their search for justice over the colonial crimes committed against them. And Algeria is hosting them for the International Conference on the Crimes of Colonialism in Africa, practically taking a lead in the calls to rejuvenate Pan-Africanism.
The meeting set for the capital Algiers will boost AU’s unified, continent-wide policy for reparations that represents the demands of all 55 member states. This is also under AU’s Theme of the Year 2025: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.”
Progressively, in February 2025, AU member states adopted an all Assembly Decision 903(XXXVIII) in Addi Ababa, Ethiopia, which endorsed the offer made by the President of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune to convene the conference in Algiers to solidify the search for justice.
And on November 30 and December 1, 2025, President Tebboune, will open the doors for hundreds of government ministers, policy makers and historians from Africa and the Caribbean islands, resident for millions of people of African descent.
“The meeting aims to formulate a unified African position on seeking justice and reparations for colonial-era injustices,” a statement from the Algerian government says.
This initiative is rooted in Algeria’s historic legacy as a nation that has paid a heavy price for colonialism and remains deeply committed to defending the dignity, memory, and rights of African peoples.
In February this year, while attending the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, President William Ruto advocated for reparatory justice for Africans and people of African descent, framing it as a moral imperative that addresses historical injustices and present-day global inequalities.
He has actively championed this cause within the African Union (AU) and with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The summit operated under the theme: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations”
Some of the key elements of his position include, a moral and unifying cause, viewing the call for reparatory justice as a “moral imperative and a unifying cause” to restore dignity, honor resilience, and correct the deep injustices left by slavery, colonization, and exploitation.
“Reparatory justice must also address systemic inequalities such as dismantling entrenched structures of global exclusion; addressing the crushing weight of unfair and unsustainable debt burdens on African and Caribbean nations, which are linked to colonial exploitation, and reforming the global financial system to make it fairer and more responsive to Africa’s needs,” Ruto said.
He called on his peers to ensure that Africa has a stronger, more equitable voice in global decision-making bodies like the UN Security Council.
“Africa and the Caribbean must present a united front and use her collective voice to demand justice,” he prevailed.
Kenya has proposed strengthening the Africa-CARICOM Reparations Working Group and advocating for a UN resolution on the matter.
Algeria experienced severe and prolonged colonial oppression under French rule from 1830 to 1962, a period characterized by systemic violence, economic exploitation, and cultural erasure. From the archives, the 132-year occupation inflicted immense suffering and left a lasting impact on the nation.
“Under the leadership of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. Algeria is working to strengthen collective reflection and action aimed at criminalizing colonialism, slavery, racial segregation, and apartheid as crimes against humanity, in line with the relevant recommendations of the African Union,” states a document from the Algerian government.
Algeria, like its fellow African nations – that have endured similar struggles – remains steadfast in its commitment to defending the dignity, memory, and fundamental rights of the African peoples.
The deliberations will address the human, cultural, economic, environmental, and legal dimensions of colonial crimes, with a focus on intergenerational trauma, the spoliation and destruction of African cultural heritage, the exploitation of resources and the inequitable economic models inherited from colonialism, the environmental impacts including nuclear testing conducted on African populations, as well as the legal pathways enabling the strengthening of the criminalization of colonialism and the establishment of a permanent African mechanism for reparations and restitution.
As host and initiator, Algeria aims to contribute to strengthening Africa’s architecture for historical justice, by providing a high-level platform to advance international recognition of colonial crimes and promote concrete mechanisms for reparative action.
One of the key expected outcomes is the adoption of the “Algiers Declaration”, which is intended to serve as a continental reference for the codification of colonial crimes, the recognition of their impacts, and the development of an African strategy for justice and reparations. This declaration will be submitted to the African Union Summit of February 2026 for consideration and endorsement.
