In a historic move, African leaders are advancing plans to file a joint reparation claim against the United Kingdom for crimes committed during the colonial era.
The push gained significant momentum at a major conference in Algiers recently, where policymakers convened to translate principle into action.
At a conference in Algiers, diplomats and leaders convened to advance an African Union resolution passed at a meeting earlier this year calling for justice and reparations for victims of colonialism.
In his opening speech, Ahmed Attaf, Algerian Foreign Minister, said Algeria’s experience under French rule underscored the need to seek compensation and reclaim stolen property.
A legal framework, he added, would ensure restitution is seen as “neither a gift nor a favour”.
“Africa is entitled to demand the official and explicit recognition of the crimes committed against its peoples during the colonial period, an indispensable first step toward addressing the consequences of that era, for which African countries and peoples continue to pay a heavy price in terms of exclusion, marginalisation and backwardness,” Attaf said.
The meeting, focused on having colonial-era crimes “recognised, criminalised and addressed through reparations”, directly advances a resolution passed by the African Union (AU) earlier this year.
That resolution calls for justice and reparations for victims of colonialism, building on a landmark proposal at the AU’s February summit to formally define colonisation as a crime against humanity and develop a unified continental position.
Nigeria, a regional powerhouse, is taking a leading role in the burgeoning campaign. The push was foreshadowed in September when Prince Ned Nwoko, a Nigerian Senator sent an official claim to the British government demanding $5 trillion in reparations for the damages of colonialism. While this was a national initiative, it set a powerful precedent and figure for the broader continental discussion.
The British government has consistently rejected such claims. Officials in London have previously labelled demands for colonial reparations as “astonishingly hypocritical”, maintaining that the UK is proud of its modern partnership with African nations and refuses to engage with allegations of historical crimes in a legal or reparative framework.
However, a recently released documentary, “From Slavery to Bond”, has renewed scrutiny on the British Empire’s legacy. The film investigates how colonial policies on resource extraction, arbitrary borders, and historical artefacts laid a “solid ground for modern problems and crises” across the continent, lending academic and moral weight to the reparations argument.
The Algiers conference represents a critical step in a meticulously planned framework. Analysts suggest a joint AU claim would carry far greater geopolitical and legal heft than individual national efforts, posing a significant diplomatic challenge to the UK.
The next phase is expected to involve consolidating a common historical assessment, finalising a legal strategy, and determining the structure and scope of the reparations demand.
While the path to any monetary payment remains long and fraught, the collective move marks a pivotal shift.
