President Tebboune demands full resolution of France’s nuclear and chemical weapons legacy in Algeria

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has issued a strong call for France to take full responsibility for the catastrophic consequences of its nuclear and chemical weapons tests in Algeria, emphasizing that a definitive resolution of this historical injustice is imperative for any meaningful revival of bilateral cooperation, Report informs via Dzair Tube.

In a landmark interview with the French daily L’Opinion, Tebboune underscored that the issue of nuclear test site decontamination is not only a political and diplomatic matter but a moral, humanitarian, and military obligation. He insisted that France must provide precise details regarding the locations of its nuclear tests and the burial sites of hazardous radioactive materials.

“The decontamination of nuclear test sites is non-negotiable. It is an imperative on all levels—humanitarian, ethical, political, and military. If such matters have been addressed with the Americans, Russians, Indonesians, and Chinese, then Algeria must demand the same from France,” declared Tebboune.

The Algerian head of state emphasized that France must fully disclose the geographical perimeters of its nuclear test zones in the Sahara, where it conducted 17 large-scale nuclear explosions between 1960 and 1966, with devastating long-term effects on local populations and the environment. The president further insisted that France must provide precise information on where radioactive waste was buried, as contamination continues to pose severe health and ecological risks decades later.