The Algerian presidency announced, on Wednesday, the appointment of 5 historians to discuss the files of the French colonial era in Algeria (1830-1962) within a joint committee with their counterparts from Paris, in implementation of an agreement between the presidents of the two countries.
And the Algerian presidency said in a statement that President Abdelmadjid Tebboune received, on Wednesday evening, “five Algerian historians appointed within the joint committee of Algerian and French historians.”
The statement did not provide more details about what was covered in Tebboune’s meeting with the members of the committee, and no information is available regarding when the committee’s work will start.
During his visit to Algeria at the end of last August, French President Emmanuel Macron agreed with Tebboune to “establish a joint committee of Algerian and French historians that would be responsible for working on all their archives that include the colonial period and the war of independence,” according to a joint declaration.
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This committee aims to “address all issues, including those related to the opening and recovery of archives, property and remains of Algerian resistance fighters, as well as nuclear tests and missing persons, while respecting the memory of both sides. Its work will be subject to regular evaluations on a semi-annual basis.”
French media reported earlier that the French presidency had sent the Algerian authorities a list of French historians members of the committee.
Macron made it clear during his visit to Algeria last August that the two sides agreed that historians would work for a full year, then the results would be considered and then decisions would be issued.
The files of the French colonial era in Algeria usually represent a source of tension between the two countries, as Algeria demands an apology for colonial crimes, while Paris says that the page must be turned and turned towards the future.
