Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf has warned that the Libyan crisis has been rendered a “forgotten matter” by both the international and African communities, 14 years after its outbreak. Speaking at the 12th session of the “Oran Track” on peace and security in Africa, Attaf argued that this neglect signals a widespread surrender to the dynamics of internal division and foreign intervention plaguing the nation.
The Minister emphasised the urgent necessity of reviving global and continental focus on the Libyan dossier, asserting that abandoning the country to its fate constitutes a grave strategic blunder with direct repercussions for broader regional security. He stressed that the prolonged crisis remains a primary driver of instability across the region.
Separately, during his address at the opening of the International Conference on the Criminalisation of Colonialism in Africa, held in Algiers, Attaf robustly asserted Africa’s non-negotiable right to demand official acknowledgement and adequate reparations for the atrocities inflicted upon its peoples during the colonial era. This stance, he noted, aligns with the resolution adopted by the African Union Summit last February.
Attaf maintained that formal recognition of these crimes is “the bare minimum,” given that the continent continues to grapple with the lingering effects of exclusion, marginalisation, and underdevelopment stemming from decades of European occupation, dating back significantly to the 1884 Berlin Conference. He elaborated that colonial rule involved crimes spanning genocide, slavery, mass deportations, and racial discrimination.
Furthermore, the Minister called for the legal and international criminalisation of colonialism itself, arguing that the moment has arrived to champion the legitimate right of African nations to secure rightful compensation and the restitution of looted assets. Highlighting Algeria’s own history, Attaf described the French colonisation as the “longest and most brutal settler-colonial project in modern history,” revealing that French deportation campaigns affected an estimated 2 to 3 million Algerians, alongside the enduring damage caused by nuclear tests.
