Calls for French Transparency on Nuclear Waste Sites in Algeria

Jean-Marie Collin, director of the French branch of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, has called on French authorities to be transparent regarding the history of nuclear testing in Algeria. His statement follows an announcement by Algeria’s Ministry of National Defense on Sunday, November 1, regarding the start of a second operation to decontaminate the Beryl E2 test tunnel in In Ekker, Tamanrasset, using national resources. The Ministry criticized France for evading its responsibilities and failing to provide maps or records of burial sites, which hinders development in In Ekker and Reggane. This situation contradicts claims made by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and the Elysee Palace on September 8, which asserted that information on buried military nuclear waste had been handed over to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during Emmanuel Macron's 2022 visit. Collin now urges France to publicly release the documents and maps concerning all radioactively contaminated areas.