Algeria launches digital map to document colonial-era environmental damage

Algeria has launched a preliminary national digital map to document sites it says were damaged during French colonial rule, in a move officials say is intended to preserve the country's historical memory and support efforts to establish international responsibility.

The platform was unveiled on July 7 during the first session of the Joint Ministerial Committee on Environmental Memory, under the supervision of Algeria's Ministry of Environment, Pulse of Africa reports.

The launch coincided with the 64th anniversary of Algeria's independence from France.

According to Algerian officials, the map will catalogue sites affected by napalm bombings, banned toxic gases and nuclear radiation, drawing on scientific studies and historical testimony.

Environment Minister Kawther Krikou said the platform would be updated gradually as field studies and investigations identify additional sites.

Mohamed Lahcen Zeghidi, coordinator of the Algerian Committee for History and Memory, said the project was an important step in documenting the environmental legacy of colonial-era actions and their impact on human and animal health, vegetation and ecosystems.

Hussein Abdel Sattar, director of the National Centre for Studies and Research on Popular Resistance, said re-examining environmental damage linked to the colonial period was necessary to understand its scale and duration and to develop what he described as a scientific approach connecting memory, environmental protection and environmental justice.

He said the review would examine issues including nuclear explosions, chemical weapons, napalm attacks, mine-laying and resource extraction.

French colonial rule in Algeria left environmental damage that Algerian officials describe as environmental crimes, including scorched-earth tactics and contamination linked to military activity.

The most significant issue remains France's nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara, whose health and environmental effects continue to feature in Algeria's calls for recognition and reparations.

International humanitarian law protects the environment during armed conflict, while the Rome Statute prohibits attacks carried out with knowledge that they will cause widespread, long-term and severe environmental damage.

However, legal experts note that many of the events in question predate modern international legal frameworks, making prosecution under current international criminal law unlikely.