Algeria buried the remains of 24 resistance fighters who returned from Paris after more than a century and a half, as it marked the 58th anniversary of their independence from France.
The skulls of the fighters, shot and beheaded in the early years of the French occupation, were buried on Sunday during an emotional ceremony at the El Alia cemetery.
The coffins covered with the national flag were placed in freshly dug graves in the largest cemetery in the Martyrs’ Square in Algeria, alongside national heroes such as the revolt leader Emir Abdelkader.
An elite unit of the Republican Guard presented weapons while a funeral march was taking place in the background, a correspondent for the AFP news agency reported.
The skulls, once seen as war trophies by French colonial officials, were transferred to Algiers International Airport on Friday and then moved to the Palace of Culture, where they were exhibited.
The return of the skulls was the result of years of efforts by Algerian historians, and comes amid growing global recognition of the legacy of colonialism.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who participated in the ceremony, said Saturday that it was time to turn the page on years of icy relations with France, and asked Paris to apologize for its colonial past.
“We have already had half apologies. The next step is necessary … we look forward to it,” he told France 24 news channel in an interview.
The return of the skulls was the result of years of efforts by Algerian historians. [Anadolu]An apology was necessary to “confront the memory problem that endangers many things in relations between the two countries,” Tebboune said.
“It would make it possible to calm tensions and create a calmer atmosphere for economic and cultural relations,” especially for the more than six million Algerians living in France, he added.
Long process
Despite the stifling heat, a long line formed outside the palace and some men and women, waiting to pay their respects, wept, according to images broadcast by various television stations.
“I came as a fighter, as an invalid from the liberation war, as a citizen who loves his country,” said Ali Zemlat.
The 85-year-old man fought in the brutal war of 1954-1962 that ended 132 years of French colonial rule in Algeria.
The 24 fought against the French colonial forces that occupied Algeria in 1830 and participated in a revolt in 1849. After being beheaded, their skulls were brought to France as trophies.
President Macron agreed in 2018 to return the remains, but the process was delayed due to bureaucratic obstacles. [Anadolu]
In 2011, the Algerian historian and researcher Ali Farid Belkadi discovered the skulls in the Museum of Man in Paris, in front of the Eiffel Tower, and alerted the Algerian authorities.
The researcher lobbied for years for his return and Algeria‘Then-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika finally launched the formal request for repatriation.
French President Emmanuel Macron accepted the repatriation in 2018, but bureaucratic obstacles caused the delay of his return.
“We have recovered part of our memory,” Historian Mohamed el-Korso told The Associated Press news agency. “But the fight must continue until the recovery of all the remains of the resistance fighters, who number in the hundreds, and the archives of our revolution.“
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
.
