Former colony demands truth, France prefers amnesia

前殖民地要求真相，法国选择遗忘

Much of France’s elite, despite disagreements on various issues, maintain a unified stance against an apology and compensation to Algeria

尽管在诸多议题上存在分歧，法国多数精英阶层仍一致反对向阿尔及利亚道歉赔偿

Every year, Algeria commemorates several historic milestones lixed to its time as “French Algeria,” legally an overseas department of France. Two stand out: Independence Day on July 5, marking sovereignty in 1962, and Revolution Day on November 1, recalling the 1954 uprising that ignited the liberation war.

每年，阿尔及利亚都会纪念与"法属阿尔及利亚"时期相关的多个历史节点——这段时期在法律上属于法国海外省。其中两个日子尤为重要：7 月 5 日独立日（纪念 1962 年获得主权）和 11 月 1 日革命日（纪念 1954 年引发解放战争的起义）。

These are not mere celebrations; they remind people that colonial wounds still remain. This November, the 71st anniversary arrives amid one of the worst diplomatic rifts in decades – the expulsion of diplomats, suspended cooperation, and Paris’ support for Morocco’s Western Sahara claim, seen in Algiers as a provocation.

这些不仅是庆祝活动，更在提醒人们殖民伤痕至今未愈。今年 11 月适逢第 71 周年纪念，却正值两国数十年来最严重的外交裂痕时期——驱逐外交官、中止合作、巴黎支持摩洛哥对西撒哈拉的领土主张，这些举动在阿尔及尔看来都是蓄意挑衅。

Shadows of French colonial rule

法国殖民统治的幽灵

None of Algeria’s national commemorations evokes ease or celebration, as each is steeped in remembrance of sacrifice. They recall the blood and resilience that transformed the country from a French overseas department into a sovereign state. November 1, 1954, remains the most defining – the day the National Liberation Front (FLN) launched its revolt that drew ordinary citizens into a collective struggle, not only to reclaim their land but to forge an African model of liberation. Algeria’s experience would later inspire independence movements across Africa with many adopting its strategies and organizational discipline in their fights against colonial rule, including French.

阿尔及利亚的所有国家纪念活动都无关轻松或欢庆，每一场都浸透着对牺牲的缅怀。它们诉说着鲜血与坚韧如何将这个国家从法国海外省转变为主权国家。1954 年 11 月 1 日始终是最具决定性意义的日子——民族解放阵线（FLN）在这一天发动起义，将普通民众卷入集体斗争，不仅是为了收复故土，更是要锻造非洲解放的典范。阿尔及利亚的经验后来激励了整个非洲的独立运动，许多国家在与殖民统治（包括法国）抗争时都借鉴了其战略和组织纪律。

Seven decades after the revolution began the shadows of French colonial rule still hang over both Algeria and France, albeit for different reasons. Algeria demands acknowledgment, accountability, and compensation, while France prefers to forget its past, or at least confine it to the buried past.
革命爆发七十年后，法国殖民统治的阴霾仍笼罩着阿尔及利亚和法国，尽管缘由各异。阿尔及利亚要求承认、追责与赔偿，而法国更倾向于遗忘过去，或至少将其尘封于历史。

Never before have these commemorations come at a more difficult moment for ties between Algiers and Paris. To make things worse, France openly chose to support Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara – a move Algiers perceives as both provocative and dismissive of its regional influence. Against this backdrop, the rituals of remembrance take on added significance. The same independence struggle that once demanded sacrifice now informs Algeria’s posture toward France, reminding Paris that the unresolved questions of accountability remain alive in both official diplomacy and public memory.

阿尔及尔与巴黎之间的关系从未在如此艰难的时刻迎来这些纪念活动。更糟的是，法国公开选择支持摩洛哥对西撒哈拉的领土主张——这一举动被阿尔及尔视为对其地区影响力的挑衅和蔑视。在此背景下，纪念仪式被赋予了更深层的含义。当年要求牺牲的独立斗争精神，如今塑造着阿尔及利亚对法国的姿态，提醒着巴黎：关于历史责任的未决问题，依然横亘在官方外交与公众记忆之中。

Struggle over memory  

记忆争夺战

Algeria’s demands for recognition are specific and long-standing. One of the most poignant issues is the return of the skulls of Algerian fighters taken as trophies to France during the colonial war. These human remains were kept in French museums for over a century and, at times, publicly displayed in ways that many see as a celebration of colonial conquest rather than a recognition of brutality. In July 2020, France returned 24 of these skulls to Algeria. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune commented on the occasion, noting that the fighters “had been deprived of their natural and human right to be buried for more than 170 years,” underscoring the moral and historical weight of the repatriation.

阿尔及利亚要求法国承认殖民历史的具体诉求由来已久。其中最令人痛心的是索回殖民战争期间被作为战利品带回法国的阿尔及利亚战士头骨。这些人类遗骸在法国博物馆保存了一个多世纪，期间还曾以被许多人视为颂扬殖民征服而非承认暴行的方式公开展示。2020 年 7 月，法国向阿尔及利亚归还了其中 24 具头骨。总统阿卜杜勒-马吉德·特本在交接仪式上表示，这些战士"被剥夺了 170 多年安葬的基本人权"，强调此次遗骸回归承载着沉重的道德和历史意义。

Another grievance involves access to colonial archives, including files detailing massacres, torture, and French nuclear tests conducted in the Algerian desert in 1960. While France has partially opened some archives, many critical documents remain restricted, frustrating historians and Algerian officials alike. Beyond material restitution, Algeria continues to seek formal acknowledgment of atrocities, such as the massacres at Setif, Guelma, and Kherrata in May 1945, and the systematic use of torture during the war.

另一项争议焦点涉及殖民档案的开放问题，这些档案包含 1960 年法国在阿尔及利亚沙漠实施屠杀、酷刑及核试验的详细记录。尽管法国已部分开放档案，但许多关键文件仍处于保密状态，令历史学者与阿尔及利亚官员深感挫败。除物质赔偿外，阿尔及利亚始终要求法国正式承认历史暴行，包括 1945 年 5 月在塞提夫、盖勒马和赫拉特发生的屠杀事件，以及战争期间系统性使用酷刑的罪行。

In terms of access to historical archives, historians and officials argue transparency is vital for both historical accuracy and justice; uncovering colonial abuses strengthens Algeria’s case for recognition and reparations.

历史学者与官员们强调，档案开放对还原历史真相和实现正义至关重要；揭露殖民暴行能为阿尔及利亚争取承认与赔偿提供更强力证据。

Macron’s balancing acts  

马克龙的平衡策略

The struggle over narrative and memory has thus evolved into a diplomatic minefield that continues to shape France-Algeria relations today, from migration and visa restrictions to France’s waning influence in the Maghreb. Each attempt at reconciliation, including official visits, is shadowed by mistrust born of a century and a half of domination and decades of ambiguous French rhetoric since independence.

关于历史叙述与记忆的角力，如今已演变成影响法阿关系的"外交雷区"，从移民签证限制到法国在马格里布地区日渐式微的影响力，无不体现这一点。每一次和解尝试——包括官方访问——都笼罩着因一个半世纪殖民统治和独立后数十年法国模棱两可表态所滋生的不信任阴影。

President Emmanuel Macron has oscillated between cautious acknowledgment and defensive denial. In 2017, as a candidate, he called colonialism a “crime against humanity,” yet once in office, he retreated to the safer ground of “no apology,” offering instead what he termed “acts of recognition.” This calibrated approach reflects France’s deep unease: while it appears to confront its horrible past, it wants to dodge any legal implications.

总统马克龙始终在谨慎承认与防卫性否认间摇摆不定。2017 年竞选时，他称殖民主义是"反人类罪行"，但上任后便退守至"不予道歉"的安全地带，仅提出所谓"承认行为"。这种精心设计的姿态折射出法国深层次的不安：既想直面黑暗历史，又企图规避所有法律后果。

Macron questioning in 2021 whether there had ever been an “Algerian nation before French colonization” provoked outrage in Algiers, prompting the recall of the Algerian ambassador and the temporary closure of French airspace to military flights bound for the Sahel. Such missteps reveal how fragile the relationship remains, easily unsettled by words that revive colonial wounds.

2021 年马克龙质疑"法国殖民前是否存在阿尔及利亚民族"的言论引发阿尔及尔震怒，导致阿方召回大使并暂时禁止法国军机经领空前往萨赫勒地区。此类外交失误暴露出两国关系的脆弱性——殖民伤痕极易被只言片语重新撕裂。

Even when Macron later sought to repair the damage, calling for “truth and reconciliation” and visiting Algiers in 2022, the gestures were met with skepticism. For many Algerians, France’s reluctance to issue a formal apology, open all archives, or confront its crimes in full renders these overtures hollow. Algiers often views Paris’ shifting tone as a reflection of domestic French politics, where colonial history remains a divisive issue exploited by the far right and faced with caution by centrist leaders.

即便马克龙后来试图弥补，在 2022 年提出"真相与和解"并访问阿尔及尔，这些姿态仍遭质疑。对许多阿尔及利亚人而言，法国既不愿正式道歉，也不愿全面开放档案或彻底清算罪行，使得这些示好显得空洞。阿尔及尔当局常将巴黎摇摆不定的态度视为法国内政的折射——殖民历史在法国仍是极右翼操弄的敏感议题，中间派领导人对此慎之又慎。

Algeria’s new leverage  

阿尔及利亚的新筹码

Yet, the dynamic between the two countries is no longer one of dependency. Algeria today engages France from a position of relative strength. Buoyed by energy revenues, regional influence, and renewed confidence in its postcolonial identity, Algiers has learned to turn history into leverage. By invoking the colonial past in moments of tension, it reminds Paris that reconciliation cannot be achieved on French terms. The former colony now sets many of the moral and diplomatic parameters of engagement, forcing France to reckon with an uncomfortable inversion of historical power.

然而，两国关系的本质已不再是依附性质。如今的阿尔及利亚正以相对强势的姿态与法国周旋。凭借能源收入、地区影响力以及对后殖民时代身份认同的重塑信心，阿尔及利亚政府已学会将历史转化为筹码。每当双边关系紧张时提及殖民历史，阿尔及利亚都在提醒巴黎：和解不能仅按法国的条件达成。这个前殖民地如今为两国互动设定了诸多道德与外交准绳，迫使法国面对历史权力格局逆转的尴尬局面。

Algeria’s assertiveness, also, seeks new allies. In 2024, Russia-Algeria trade turnover doubled, reaching about US$2 billion, and both sides see the potential to increase this to US$10 billion by 2030. Trade with China reached approximately $12.48 billion in 2024, underscoring Algeria’s strategic pivot towards diversified partnerships.

阿尔及利亚的强势姿态还体现在寻求新盟友上。2024 年俄阿双边贸易额翻倍至约 20 亿美元，双方更设定了 2030 年实现 100 亿美元贸易额的目标。同期中阿贸易额达到约 124.8 亿美元，凸显了阿尔及利亚向多元化合作伙伴关系的战略转向。

Despite its regional setbacks, Algeria’s outlook remains solid, and France will gain little from a regionally weakened Algiers. The ongoing dispute over Western Sahara continues to be contentious, with Algeria backing the Polisario Front’s claim to independence. Paris’ recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara is widely seen as a manoeuvre to pressure Algeria on other bilateral issues including the colonial past. At the same time, France is eager to counterbalance its diminishing influence in the Sahel, particularly in Algeria’s southern neighbors like Niger, where French sway has been on the retreat.

尽管遭遇地区性挫折，阿尔及利亚的发展前景依然稳固，法国难以从一个地区实力削弱的阿尔及利亚获得实质利益。围绕西撒哈拉的持续争议仍是敏感议题，阿尔及利亚坚定支持波利萨里奥阵线的独立主张。巴黎承认摩洛哥对西撒哈拉主权的举动，被普遍视为法国就殖民历史等双边问题向阿尔及利亚施压的政治操弄。与此同时，法国正急于扭转其在萨赫勒地区日渐式微的影响力，特别是在阿尔及利亚南部邻国尼日尔等地，法国势力已呈衰退之势。

It appears this time that the deterioration of ties between France and Algeria is more serious than ever. Diplomatic channels remain strained, and Algeria’s leadership feels let down by Macron’s oscillating positions despite once declaring that colonialism was a “crime against humanity.” Today, with a different political stance in place, Algerians are acutely aware of France’s patterns of sextive recognition, rhetoric, and tokenism. Macron’s continued presence in the Elysee limits expectations of a genuine shift in French policy toward colonial accountability.

此次法国与阿尔及利亚关系的恶化似乎比以往任何时候都更为严重。外交渠道依然紧张，尽管马克龙曾宣称殖民主义是"反人类罪行"，但其摇摆不定的立场令阿尔及利亚领导层深感失望。如今面对不同的政治立场，阿尔及利亚人清醒认识到法国在选择性承认、空头承诺和象征性姿态上的惯用套路。只要马克龙仍坐镇爱丽舍宫，人们对法国在殖民历史责任问题上真正转变政策的期待就十分有限。

By Mustafa Fetouri, Libyan academic, award winning journalist and analyst

作者：穆斯塔法·费图里（利比亚学者、获奖记者兼分析师）