65 Years Since France’s Nuclear Crime in Reggane: A Stain of Colonial Arrogance and Unresolved Justice

BY: Dr. Hana Saada

Algiers, Algeria | February 14th, 2025 — Sixty-five years ago, on February 13, 1960, at precisely 7:04 a.m., France detonated its first nuclear bomb, code-named Gerboise Bleue, in the heart of the Algerian Sahara, near Reggane. This devastating explosion—three to four times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima—was not only an assertion of French military might but also a blatant act of colonial recklessness that left irreversible scars on the land and its people. It remains a glaring testament to France’s continued refusal to acknowledge one of its most egregious war crimes.

A Crime Concealed, A People Betrayed

At the time of these nuclear tests, approximately 40,000 Algerians, both sedentary and nomadic, lived within the affected area. Declassified French military reports have since revealed that these civilians were knowingly exposed to radioactive fallout, as they were not adequately evacuated nor informed of the lethal consequences of nuclear contamination.

The fallout from Gerboise Bleue extended far beyond Algerian borders, reaching as far as Sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa, the Mediterranean coasts of Spain, and even Sicily, Italy. The Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique (CEA) admitted in its 1960 annual report that a contaminated zone of at least 150 kilometers in length had been identified. However, a classified document, declassified only in April 2013, unveiled the true extent of radioactive contamination, contradicting official French claims and proving that France deliberately suppressed critical data on the nuclear disaster’s full impact.

The Beryl Disaster and Continued Nuclear Recklessness

Undeterred by the environmental and human catastrophe unfolding in Reggane, France continued its nuclear experiments in Algeria. Between November 1961 and February 1966, it conducted thirteen underground nuclear detonations in the Hoggar Mountains near In Ekker, approximately 150 kilometers north of Tamanrasset.

One of the most infamous tests, codenamed Beryl, conducted on May 1, 1962, resulted in an uncontrolled radioactive leak from the underground chamber, spewing radiation into the open air. The French government at the time deliberately downplayed the disaster, concealing its long-term effects. Despite mounting evidence of radiation exposure among local populations and French military personnel, France has persistently refused to fully disclose the scale of the contamination or take responsibility for the suffering inflicted.

Further tests, including Améthyste, Rubis, and Jade, also failed to contain their radioactive aftermath. To this day, countless Algerians suffer from radiation-induced illnesses, congenital deformities, and environmental degradation, all while France continues to evade its historical and moral obligations.

A Diplomatic Reckoning: France Must Own Its Crime

The nuclear legacy of colonial France has resurfaced amid a diplomatic crisis between Algeria and France, fueled by French political figures trivializing or outright denying the horrors of colonial rule. Among them, far-right leader Marine Le Pen audaciously declared that French colonization of Algeria was not a tragedy, further exacerbating tensions and reopening old wounds.

French authorities have for decades buried damning evidence, withheld crucial documents, and resisted accountability, treating their nuclear legacy in Algeria as an inconvenient historical footnote rather than an unresolved humanitarian and environmental crisis. However, the Algerian government has made it clear that the time for avoidance is over.

In an interview with the French daily L’Opinion, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune underscored the necessity of full transparency:

“We have worked on decontamination efforts with the Americans, the Russians, the Indonesians, and the Chinese. We believe Algeria must do the same with France, which must disclose with absolute precision the exact locations where nuclear tests were conducted and where radioactive materials were buried.”

He further stressed that resolving this historic injustice is a precondition for the normalization of bilateral relations.

Justice Delayed, But Not Forgotten

France’s colonial-era nuclear experiments represent a war crime against both Algeria and humanity, a crime for which justice remains long overdue. The failure to properly decontaminate the affected sites, provide adequate compensation to victims, or even acknowledge the full scope of the devastation speaks volumes about France’s enduring colonial mindset—a refusal to confront and atone for its past atrocities.

Algeria’s demand is not just for recognition but for full accountability, environmental rehabilitation, and reparations. The burden now lies squarely on France. The time for half-measures and diplomatic platitudes is over.

The question remains: Will France finally face its historical guilt, or will it continue to hide behind the veil of denial?

 

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