Algeria will host the International Conference on the Crimes of Colonialism in Africa to consolidate a unified position on reparations, historical justice, and the criminalisation of colonialism.
The conference, from November 30 to December 1, 2025, will bring together African ministers, legal experts, historians, and academics, was endorsed by the AU Assembly earlier this year.
The event, organized under the high patronage of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, comes as part of the African Union's 2025 theme, "Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations."
"This initiative is rooted in Algeria's historic legacy as a nation that has paid a heavy price for colonialism and remains deeply committed to defending the dignity, memory, and rights of African peoples," the Embassy of Algeria in Kampala said in a statement.
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"Under the leadership of President Tebboune, Algeria is working to strengthen collective reflection and action aimed at criminalising colonialism, slavery, racial segregation, and apartheid as crimes against humanity."
The conference will provide a platform for discussions across multiple dimensions of colonial crimes, including human, cultural, economic, environmental, and legal aspects.
Delegates will examine the intergenerational trauma caused by colonialism, the destruction and plunder of African cultural heritage, the exploitation of resources, inequitable economic models inherited from colonial powers, and environmental impacts such as nuclear testing conducted on African populations.
Legal experts will also explore mechanisms to strengthen the criminalization of colonialism and establish a permanent African framework for reparations and restitution.
The summit will draw participants not only from Africa but also from the Caribbean and other regions with shared histories of colonialism.
It aims to provide a high-level continental platform for advancing recognition of colonial crimes and promoting concrete reparative measures.
One of the key outcomes expected from the conference is the adoption of the Algiers Declaration, which will serve as a continental reference for codifying colonial crimes, acknowledging their impacts, and formulating an African strategy for justice and reparations.
The declaration will be submitted to the African Union Summit in February 2026 for consideration and endorsement.
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The Embassy emphasized that through this initiative, Algeria seeks to strengthen Africa's architecture for historical justice, support reparations, preserve historical memory, and consolidate a shared identity based on dignity and justice.
"This conference is an opportunity for African nations and partners across the world to collectively acknowledge the enduring impact of colonialism and chart a clear path towards justice, reparations, and the preservation of our cultural heritage," the Embassy said.
