Proposal To Declassify Maps And Data Of Colonial Nuclear Explosions In Algeria

After years of evasion and refusal to cooperate with the Algerian authorities regarding one of its most dangerous colonial crimes, the French government finds itself compelled to provide parliamentary answers concerning the declassification of maps of atomic tests, nuclear waste, and related data in the Algerian desert (Sahara), following two parliamentary questions, particularly regarding the withholding of maps and nuclear radiation ranges.

In this context, Sabrina Sebaihi, a deputy in the French National Assembly, the first chamber of parliament, of Algerian origin, addressed a written question to the Ministry of Armed Forces and Veterans, calling on the French government to declassify maps and technical data related to the nuclear tests carried out by France in southern Algeria during the somber colonial period.

Deputy Sebaihi indicated in the question, dated March 2, 2026, which “Echorouk” reviewed, that France conducted 17 nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara, four of which were atmospheric and the rest underground, between 1960 and 1967, at the Reggane and In Ekker sites, and the widespread radioactive contamination that accompanied them, the effects of which are still present today.

The deputy for the Social Ecologists bloc explained that the post-Evian Accords period witnessed the French military authorities beginning a partial dismantling of the facilities.

However, this process was marred by practices involving the abandonment of contaminated equipment and the burial of various types of waste, some of which was radioactive, without providing accurate maps or technical data specifying their locations or danger levels.

In this regard, the deputy mentioned that Algeria requested in 1999 the intervention of the International Atomic Energy Agency to assess the radiological situation at the former nuclear test sites. However, that mission, according to the text of the question, did not lead to a definitive solution for the problem of hundreds of tons of contaminated waste buried during the colonial period.

The parliamentary question indicated that the Algerian authorities recently initiated limited cleanup and security operations at some sites, despite acknowledging the impossibility of complete decontamination, especially in areas affected by underground nuclear explosions.

The deputy particularly highlighted Mount Taourirt Tan Afella, which was severely damaged by the “Béryl” explosion on May 1, 1962, which was not contained as planned, leading to the leakage of radioactive materials and the exposure of French military personnel and officials present at the site, as well as residents of neighboring areas, to radioactive contamination.

MP Sabrina Sebaihi affirmed that the success of security and environmental rehabilitation operations requires providing Algeria with original maps and accurate data related to the locations of buried waste and the ranges of radioactive contamination, considering that withholding this information constitutes a direct obstacle to protecting the population and the environment.

The French politician, who also serves as Secretary of the National Assembly, concluded her question by demanding that the French government clarify the reasons preventing the delivery of this data, and whether Paris intends to declassify it and transfer it to the Algerian authorities, within the framework of what she described as a historical and moral responsibility towards one of the most dangerous legacies of nuclear tests in the colonial era.

Regarding the continued refusal of the French authorities to meet the repeated demands made by their Algerian counterparts to assume their responsibilities in cleaning up the nuclear explosion sites in the south of the country and handing over maps of nuclear waste burial, Mohsen Guitouni, a researcher in colonial history at the University of Exeter, UK, believes that Paris is using baseless justifications and arguments.

The historian said in a communication with “Echorouk” about this much-discussed issue: “The arguments by which France tries to justify its position are flimsy and not based on any political logic.”

He added, explaining: “The French claim that everything related to nuclear affairs is secret and cannot be disclosed, and this is a logic that no sane person can accept, because the remnants of nuclear explosions and waste buried in unknown places are still killing Algerians to this day, nearly seven decades after independence.”

The researcher believes that “the real reason France is hiding regarding this issue is primarily ideological, and is related to the French decision-makers’ inability to come to terms with Algeria’s independence.”

He went on to say: “I believe that the French want to punish the Algerians, a desire shared by successive French top leaders over decades, who have been unable to acknowledge their dismal failure in confronting the Algerian people,” a position expressed yesterday and today by French politicians known for their right-wing and far-right leanings, who lament the “loss of Algeria” in their speeches and election campaigns.