Macron rules out apology for colonial abuses in Algeria
- by Leona Burton
- in World Media
- — Jan 23, 2021
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Macron's office said there will be "no apologies" but that Macron intends instead to make "symbolic acts" aimed at emphasizing recognition of the harsh colonial reality and helping reconciliation between the two countries.
Between 1954 and 1962, Algerian revolutionaries and French forces engaged in a bloody war in which both sides committed war crimes but that ultimately led to the independence of the North African country.
Macron said there would be "no repentance nor apologies", the French news service Agence France-Presse reported on Wednesday.
More news: Adele Announces Final Divorce Settlement from Ex- Husband KoneckiBut it ruled out issuing an official apology for the past, and the proposals avoided the question of systemic torture by French forces, which Mr. Macron has already acknowledged. He will launch the process aiming at burying her at the Pantheon monument in Paris, a resting place for some of France's most distinguished citizens.
In his speech, Macron also indicated that he is considering a partial withdrawal of forces in the Sahel region, a "modification" he made as a result of the successes achieved by the French forces past year and the greater participation expected from other European countries.
Stora was commissioned to the report by Macron last July to ensure "the history of the Algerian war is known and viewed with lucidity". The deployment of about 5,100 troops in five West African countries represent France's largest military operation overseas.
More news: New Godzilla vs Kong Trailer Coming This Sunday!As a presidential candidate, Macron in 2017 had unequivocally condemned France's colonial history calling it a "crime against humanity", and as a head of the state insisted the "need to better represent certain parts of our collective history and integrate the history of colonisation".
Macron, a centrist elected with votes from the right and the left, has not ruled out the possibility of running for a second term.
Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said past year that his country was awaiting an official apology for France's colonial occupation.
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