Joint Statement: 66 Years Since the First French Nuclear Explosion in Algeria

No Truth Without Transparency, No Justice Without Reparation

We, the undersigned organizations representing affected communities, Indigenous peoples, and advocates for the prohibition of nuclear weapons, environmental protection, human rights, and the promotion of peace, come together to commemorate the sixty-sixth anniversary of the first nuclear explosion carried out by France in the Algerian desert on 13 February 1960. On that day, France detonated its first nuclear bomb in Reggane under the name “Gerboise Bleue,” committing a historic wrongdoing that opened a dark chapter of human and environmental harm whose effects persist to this day.

Between 1960 and 1966, France conducted 17 nuclear explosions and 40 additional nuclear experiments in the regions of Reggane and In Ekker, causing widespread radioactive contamination with long-lasting consequences for public health and the environment: increased cancer rates, chronic illnesses and congenital malformations, degradation of natural resources and livelihoods, as well as social and psychological harm compounded by inadequate healthcare, lack of information, and the absence of reparation. Radioactive fallout also spread beyond the Algerian Sahara, affecting parts of West Africa and the Mediterranean basin.

In this context, we note the existence of initiatives and ongoing parliamentary debates in both France and Algeria concerning this issue. In France, steps are being taken to revise the compensation framework in order to make it fairer for victims of the tests in Algeria and French Polynesia, alongside calls to strengthen transparency and accountability. In Algeria, the People’s National Assembly addressed this issue for the first time in February 2025 through a parliamentary session that resulted in 13 recommendations calling for enhanced transparency, justice for nuclear victims, the transmission of memory, and the development of research on health and environmental impacts.

However, we strongly denounce the fact that the French and Algerian governments continue to ignore the letters sent by United Nations Special Rapporteurs on 13 September 2024, which remain unanswered to date, despite their clear demands: disclosure of documents and archives, identification of radioactive waste disposal sites, decontamination of affected areas, compensation for victims and guarantees of their medical care, as well as concrete measures expected from Algeria to inform populations of the risks, prevent further harm, and ensure transparent participation of civil society.

We also express our deep concern regarding the law criminalizing colonialism, which was adopted by the People’s National Assembly and subsequently subjected to reservations by the Council of the Nation on certain provisions related to compensation. This raises serious questions about whether there is genuine political will to advance this issue, rather than using it as a temporary leverage tool in the context of political tensions.

Accordingly, we call on France to fully acknowledge its responsibility for the nuclear tests conducted in Algeria; to lift secrecy on documents, files, and maps, including those related to radioactive waste burial sites; to grant Algeria full access to nuclear archives; and to reform the compensation framework by expanding the list of recognized diseases and affected areas, simplifying procedures, and ensuring the effectiveness of the CIVEN mechanism. We also call for sustained technical and financial support for health monitoring and environmental remediation programs, as well as for the signing and ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

We urge Algeria to take urgent measures to protect public health in affected areas through a national program of monitoring, early screening, and medical care, and to ensure that populations receive accurate information in national and local languages, with particular attention to vulnerable groups. We also call for greater transparency through the publication of a detailed annual report on the activities of the National Rehabilitation Agency; for enabling victims to establish independent associations and expanding civil society participation; for intensified cooperation with France to obtain documents and data; and for completing the ratification of the TPNW in order to participate as a State Party, rather than merely as an observer, in the first Review Conference of the Treaty (November 2026), while benefiting from international cooperation mechanisms.

We further call on parliamentarians in both countries, within their respective capacities, to establish a permanent commission bringing together government actors, independent experts, and victims’ associations to monitor and compel their governments to act on health and environmental follow-up, the implementation of decontamination plans, and the reparation of harm according to a clear timeline, transparent criteria, and accountability mechanisms.

Finally, we reaffirm our commitment to continue working alongside affected communities in pursuit of truth, justice, and reparation, as well as the protection of human rights and the environment, in order to guarantee a safe, just, and sustainable future for present and future generations.

Organizations signing:

1. SHOAA for Human Rights
2. International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)
3. ICAN France
4. Observatoire des armements / CDRPC (Centre de documentation et de recherche sur la paix et les conflits)
5. International Peace Bureau (IPB)
6. International Association of Liberal Religious Women (IALRW)
7. Moruroa e tātou
8. Veterans For Peace
9. International Peace Research Association
10. International Association of Liberal Religious Women (IALRW) – Japan
11. Réseau Sortir du nucléaire
12. Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy (AIDD)
13. Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
14. The Congolese Civil Society of South Africa
15. Action on Armed Violence
16. Mines Action Canada
17. World BEYOND War
18. Tribal Rights Watch (TRW)
19. Nepal Intellectual Forum
20. Secure Scotland
21. Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center
22. Just Peace Qld

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