The Government of Algeria will host the International Conference on the Crimes of Colonialism in Africa from 30 November to 1 December 2025 in Algiers. The information was communicated by the Algerian Embassy in Kampala to Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The conference is being organised under the high patronage of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and follows the African Union Assembly Decision 903 (XXXVIII), adopted in February 2025, which endorsed Algeria’s offer to convene a continental meeting dedicated to the AU Theme of the Year 2025, Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.
According to the information note shared by the embassy, the initiative is linked to Algeria’s own history as a country that experienced severe colonial repression, and its continued support for efforts that protect the dignity, memory and rights of African peoples.
The conference will bring together ministers, jurists, historians, academics and experts from Africa, the Caribbean and other regions. Delegates will work toward a unified African position on historical justice, reparations, the restitution of cultural heritage and the preservation of collective memory.
Deliberations are expected to cover the human, cultural, economic, environmental and legal impacts of colonialism. The agenda includes discussions on intergenerational trauma, destruction and theft of African cultural heritage, exploitation of natural resources, economic structures inherited from colonial rule and environmental damage, including nuclear testing carried out on African populations. The meeting will also examine legal frameworks that could strengthen the criminalisation of colonialism, slavery, racial segregation and apartheid as crimes against humanity. Proposals for a permanent African mechanism on reparations and restitution will also be considered.
As the host, Algeria aims to advance continental efforts on historical justice and support African advocacy for international recognition of colonial-era abuses. A key outcome of the gathering is expected to be the Algiers Declaration, which will outline a continental reference for codifying colonial crimes and developing an African strategy for reparations. The declaration will be submitted to the African Union Summit of February 2026 for consideration.
