Algeria’s Call for the Return of Emir Abdelkader’s Sword and Cloak Faces French Refusal
BY: Hana Saada
ALGIERS- In an interview with Qatar’s Al Jazeera, Ahmed Attaf, Algeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad, disclosed that France is refusing to return the cloak and sword of Emir Abdelkader to Algeria.
As part of the planned itinerary, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was set to visit the Château d’Amboise, where Emir Abdelkader was imprisoned between 1848 and 1852 alongside around a hundred individuals, including his mother, brothers, women, dignitaries, servants, and children. Seeking symbolic significance, Algeria requested the restitution of Emir Abdelkader’s sword and cloak. However, French authorities rejected the request, citing the need for legislation, as revealed by Ahmed Attaf.
This refusal comes despite discussions during the joint commission meeting of Algerian and French historians held in November last year in Constantine. The talks included the potential restitution of “symbolic assets, such as those that belonged to Emir Abdelkader or other Algerian personalities.”
While the final statement following the meeting did not delve into specifics, it is evident that Emir Abdelkader’s sword, cloak, and a copy of the Quran were among the “symbolic assets” intended for return to Algeria.
The Algerian government has consistently framed the recovery of its assets in France as a matter of national honor. This reversal by France may, to some extent, explain the continual postponement of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s visit to France, invited by President Emmanuel Macron.
Even though Ahmed Attaf maintains that “preparations for the visit are ongoing,” confirming President Tebboune’s statements from August last year, this “refusal” underscores, according to Attaf, the “sensitivity” of the relationship.
Recall that President Tebboune asserted in an August television interview that the visit was still “scheduled,” but both parties had not yet reached an agreement on the visit’s program.
“We have not agreed on the program for this visit. A state visit has conditions and must lead to results. It is not a tourist visit,” he declared.
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