African leaders gathered in Algiers to push for the recognition of colonial-era crimes through reparations. The conference sought to advance an African Union resolution passed earlier this year calling for slavery, deportation, and colonization to be formally defined as crimes against humanity.
“Africa is entitled to demand the official and explicit recognition of the crimes committed against its peoples,” Algeria’s foreign minister said in his opening speech, adding that it was an era for which the continent continues “to pay a heavy price.”
At least 12.5 million people were enslaved and forcibly transported from Africa between the 15th and 19th centuries, and the economic toll to the continent of colonization is estimated to run into trillions of dollars. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has long supported the call for reparations, which most former colonial powers have rejected.