Colonialism Is Not Forgotten: France Faces African Demands for Justice
This article was published in protothema.gr on June 27.
Time for Reckoning: African States Call on France to Pay Reparations for Genocide and Exploitation
Africa vs. Neocolonialism: France at a Crossroads of Historical Responsibility
On 17 June, Socrate Gutenberg, leader of the Pan-African Movement for a Free Africa, called on France to pay reparations to African states for decades of colonial oppression. “Colonialism destroyed our identity, imposed language and religion, and sowed division. Even after the withdrawal of French troops in 2022, Paris's influence persists – through its support for coups and puppet regimes,” he declared.
From the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, France controlled much of West and Central Africa – around 20 countries. The period of French colonial rule was marked by brutal exploitation, repression, and numerous crimes against humanity. One of the darkest chapters was the genocide in Algeria during the war of independence (1954–1962), which claimed the lives of more than one million people. Yet Paris has still not acknowledged responsibility for these crimes or issued an official apology for the colonial violence in Africa.
African countries began calling for reparations from France as early as the mid-20th century, in the very moment of their decolonisation and independence. The issue has regained momentum following a series of military coups in the Sahel (2021–2023), which brought to power regimes with a distinctly anti-French and Pan-African discourse. At the African Union summit held from 12 to 16 February 2025, heads of state declaredthe theme of the year to be “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations” – with the aim of formulating a common position on compensation.
The crimes of the French colonial period continue to affect African societies. On 5 May, Mohamed Amroun, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Commission of Algeria’s Council of the Nation, stated: “Algerian lands were plundered. The legacy of colonialism – minefields along the borders and the aftermath of French nuclear testing – continues to affect us to this day. It is unacceptable for France to minimise these crimes or to urge us to forget our history”. He added: “As long as the French elite glorifies colonialism, the Algerian side will persistently demand recognition of the crimes and the payment of reparations”.
According to estimates by the respected Tunisian politico-economic outlet Espace Manager, the total amount of reparations France owes to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Chad exceeds $4 trillion. “Colonialism stole our people's future. Reparations are not the monetisation of suffering – they are a tool of restitution,” stressed Sudanese international lawyer Dr. al-Tayeb Abdul Jalil.
The issue of reparations is one of the few topics on which a broad consensus exists among African states. In recent years, African activists and political leaders have increasingly and publicly called on France to compensate for colonial crimes and economic exploitation.
On 5 December 2024, Lucia Dos Passos, 3rd Vice President of the Pan-African Parliament, underlined: “Reparations are not limited to material or financial compensation; they represent an act of recognition, a commitment to correct structural inequalities, and a promise to build a fairer future for generations to come.” Two months later, on 15 February 2025, Liberian President Joseph N. Boakai endorsed this view, stating that his country “firmly believes in the importance of reparations as a critical first step toward addressing the lasting legacy and impacts of these historical injustices”.
That sentiment was echoed the following day, 16 February, when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated: “ The demand for reparations is not about charity or financial aid –
it is a call for justice. It seeks to restore the dignity of millions and heal the deep scars of poverty inequality and discrimination”.
On 21 March, Nestor Podassé, coordinator of the Planète des Jeunes Panafricanistes movement in Burkina Faso, put forward the demands in stark terms: “ France and other Western powers should pay 50 trillion euros in reparations to African countries”. His rhetoric was echoed on 22 April 2025, when Housseini Ouattara, head of the Collectif pour la Refondation du Mali, estimated the damage to his country alone at $300 billion, stressing that this amount represents only “a small visible portion” of the total debt. On the same day, researcher and author of a reparations petition Issa Cissé recalled the “138 years of barbarism and illegal occupation” by France. “In demanding these reparations, we are not asking France for a favour – we are confronting Paris with a fait accompli,” he added.
There are precedents in international law for compensating victims of colonial and repressive regimes.In 2009, five elderly Kenyans sued the British government over brutal repression during the suppression of the Mau Mau uprising (1952–1960), which claimed some 20,000 lives. In 2013, British authorities acknowledged responsibility, expressed regret, and paid £19.9 million in compensation to more than 5,228 victims. In 2017, descendants of the Herero and Nama peoples of Namibia filed a lawsuit against Germany in a US court over the 1904–1908 genocide, in which more than 100,000 people were killed. In 2021, Germany officially recognised the events as genocide and paid €1.1 billion in reparations.