Over 10,000 Harkis Request Additional Compensation From France
In a new development that reflects Paris’s insistence on continuing to compensate the Harkis, an official French government response has revealed that more than 10,000 individuals, including Harkis (traitors of the Algerian liberation revolution, former collaborators with the colonial army), have submitted new claims for financial compensation under the 2022 law.
This comes amid a political trend pushing to expand the scope of compensation and adjust its value, in response to European court rulings and domestic political pressure.
This information was revealed in a response from the French Ministry of the Armed Forces dated June 3, 2025, reviewed by Echorouk. It included a written question submitted by National Assembly member Stéphane Rambaud of the far-right National Rally party, known for its anti-Algeria and anti-Algerians’ stances. Rambaud inquired about the status of the cases related to compensation awarded to the Harkis and their families.
In its response, the French government confirmed that, “In 2024, the number of applications under Law No. 2022-229 of February 23, 2022, submitted by the services of the National Office for Veterans and War Victims to the Independent National Commission for Recognition and Reparation, amounted to 10,321. Of these, 7,388 received a favourable opinion”.
The response also explained that “in a judgment dated April 4, 2024, the European Court of Human Rights requested France to increase the amount of compensation for living conditions in the Bias reception camp”, which was raised in the “Tamazount” case, as the sons of Harkis, brothers Charles and Abdelkader Tamazount prosecuted France at the European Court of Human Rights for the appalling living conditions which harkis and their families faced in the French camps after Algeria’s independence. The epilogue to a fourteen-year legal battle required France to review compensation amounts related to this camp, prompting the French authorities to issue Decree 2025-256 on March 20, 2025, which amended the scale set outin Article 9 of the Decree No.2022-294 of March 18, 2022 to increased compensation from €1,000 to €4,000 for each year of residence in the camp. This decision was also extended to include the Saint-Maurice-l’Ardoise camp.
The response also indicated that the French “Government has decided to extend this scale to the Saint-Maurice l’Ardoise camp, to take into account the similar living conditions. Only these two sites will be affected by this specific scale. The first applications have been processed. Furthermore, the Independent National Commission for the Harkis (CNIH) submitted its second activity report on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, covering the years 2023 to 2025.
This recommendation was endorsed by the French Prime Minister, in what was considered a political commitment to intensify the so-called “recognition and justice” measures for Harkis (traitors of the Algerian Revolution).
In the same context, the French government ignored a proposal by the Renaissance Party, the party of French President Emmanuel Macron, to enable the beneficiaries of tens of thousands of deceased harkis to receive substantial financial compensation by allowing their heirs to submit compensation claims on their behalf; “In 2023, this research led the Commission to propose to the Government the expansion of the number of reception sites eligible for compensation under the law of February 23, 2022. This work continued until 2025, resulting in the proposal of 37 new sites. The Prime Minister accepted this expansion. The Ministry of the Armed Forces is fully committed to ensuring that the essential work of recognition and reparation for the Harkis is fully implemented”.
This proposal came as part of a written question submitted to the Ministry of the Armed Forces by Jean-François Lovisolo, a member of the National Assembly, representing the ruling Renaissance party in France. However, the French government has not responded to this request to date, suggesting an official tendency to ignore this request, despite it being issued by the ruling party.
The question pointed out that the current law imposes strict conditions that limit eligibility for compensation, particularly through Article 3 of the law and Article 9 of Executive Decree No. 2022-394, which require that the applicant for compensation have resided in designated reception centers between March 20, 1962, and December 31, 1975.
This condition, according to MP Jean-François Lovisolo, prevents the children and relatives of deceased harkis from submitting claims on their behalf, which, he believes, creates “unequal treatment” and constitutes “injustice” to their families, who have not benefited despite official recognition of the suffering endured by their relatives.
The proposal aims to amend this legal framework and allow heirs, whether children or relatives of harkis, to submit compensation claims on behalf of harkis who died before the law came into effect. This would significantly expand the circle of beneficiaries and open the door for the heirs of tens of thousands of harkis to benefit from compensation.
