French soldier's remains transferred to Algeria 61 years after his death

A French radio channel said the remains of a French soldier were transferred to his homeland 61 years after he was killed in 1956. This may open door for other transfer procedures of French soldiers’ remains who were killed furing Algeria’s war.

The radio channel said the soldier was 22 when he was shot by Algerian war veterans in July 1956. 

His sister had promised her mother to don her best to recover his remains. In 2015, she discovered a letter which contains details about the place where he was buried. The French embassy confirmed the location of his tomb. Algerian authorities allowed his family to recover the remains in June 2017.

“Although costs are high and procedures are complicated, this operation will enable other French families to recover the remains of their relatives. There are almost 400 soldiers buried in Algeria,” said the French channel.

“Between 1954 and 1962, France mobilized more than 1.5 million young men to fight in Algeria for a period between 18 and 30 months. A number of them did not come back home. Official figures show that 15,583 soldiers were killed in battles and attacks,” it added.

Paris still refuses to give back 18,000 skulls of the popular resistance heroes after it had cut their head in a cruel way and without respecting human dignity. They are still in a museum in Paris.

The secret of those skulls was discovered in March 2011 by Algerian researcher Farid Belkadi. A request was made to recover them. 

Last year, Algerian Professor Ibrahim Senoussi collected about 30,000 signatures to recover those skulls.

The Organization of War’s Veterans criticized France for perpetrating such a crime against Algerians.

“In history, we have never read that thousands of heads were cut and hidden in a museum for more than a century. This only happens in France,” said the Organization’s Secretary General Said Abadou.

“Hiding those skulls is unforgivable crime. French authorities should give them back,” he added.