It is a vote that materializes a commitment made by President Emmanuel Macron, who had asked ” sorry to these Algerians who fought alongside the French army, but who were abandoned by France after the signing of the Evian Accords on March 18, 1962.
Sixty years after the end of the Algerian war (1954-1962), the French Parliament adopted on Tuesday, by a final very broad vote of the Senate, a law to ask “pardon” for the harkis, paving the way for compensation for some families.
This text materializes a commitment made by the French President Emmanuel Macron who, on September 20, during a reception at the Élysée, had asked ” sorry to the harkis in the name of France and announced a bill for “recognition and reparation” for these former auxiliaries of the French army during the Algerian war.
Wounds still open
Sixty years later, the wounds opened by this deadly war – nearly 500,000 dead – are far from being healed. And the discussion of text aroused a lot of emotion and passion in the hemicycles of the two assemblies, tensions also in the harkie community.
This bill is that of the recognition by the nation of a deep tear and a French tragedy, of a dark page in our history “, argues the Minister in charge of Memory and Veterans Affairs Geneviève Darrieussecq. The text recognizes conditions unworthy of reception reserved for the 90,000 harkis and their families who fled Algeria after independence. Nearly half of them were relegated to camps and “ forest hamlets “. ” These places were places of banishment that bruised, traumatized and sometimes killed “, according to the minister.
For these, the bill provides for “reparation” of the damage with, as a result, a lump sum taking into account the duration of the stay in these structures, from 2,000 to 15,000 euros. The number of potential beneficiaries is estimated by the government at 50,000, for an overall cost of 310 million euros over approximately six years.
If the level of compensation was deemed ” weak », or even « ridiculous by some, the disappointments crystallized on the approximately 40,000 returnees excluded from reparation because they stayed in “urban cities” where they were not deprived of freedom of movement, even if they experienced precarious living conditions.
Mohamed Haddouche, treasurer of the Association justice information repair for the harkis (Ajir) is for his part rather satisfied with this text.
First of all, the request for forgiveness is important for us, and that is what took precedence above all. Secondly, what we also find positive is the fact that the law recognizes the responsibility of France in the wrongs that have been done to the harkis […] For me, the fact that the law recognizes all this is already a big step forward that has been made and that is important.
Mohamed Haddouche, treasurer of the Association justice information repair for the harkis (Ajir)
► Also to listen: Harkis: Request for forgiveness helps ‘allow our elders to leave with dignity’
A recognition and reparation commission
Up to 200,000 harkis had been recruited as auxiliaries to the French army during the conflict between 1954 and 1962. A day of national homage has been dedicated to them every September 25 since a decree of 2003. Symbolically, this date will be inscribed in the law.
The text creates a national commission for recognition and reparation, which will decide on requests for reparation and will contribute to the work of memory. Two additional missions were assigned to him during the debates in the Senate hemicycle. The commission will thus be able to propose for the harkis combatants who request it “ any measure of recognition and reparation appropriate. It may also propose changes to the systems to the government.
Since the beginning of the year, Emmanuel Macron has engaged in a series of strong acts to appease the memories of the Algerian war which continues to divide the French. On March 19, the commemorations of the Evian Accords will take place, 20 days before the first round of the presidential election. The Élysée has indicated that it is carefully preparing this anniversary so that it “ don’t be taken hostage by politics.