In a historic move signaling a coordinated legal and diplomatic offensive, African leaders are advancing plans to file a joint reparations claim against the United Kingdom for colonial-era crimes and injustices. The effort gained significant momentum at the International Conference on the Crimes of Colonialism in Africa in Algiers, held from November 30 to December 1, 2025, where diplomats and senior figures convened to translate principle into action.
The gathering in the Algerian capital was organized under the leadership of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and featured speeches from ministers and representatives of African Union member states. A key address was delivered by Algeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Attaf, who emphasized that colonial crimes — including slavery, land dispossession, and cultural erasure — must be officially recognized, criminalized, and compensated. He framed these demands as a matter of legal justice and historical truth, not charity.
The conference directly advanced a African Union resolution passed earlier in 2025 calling for justice and reparations for victims of colonialism. That resolution also built on discussions at the AU’s February and May summits, where leaders debated proposals to formally define colonization as a crime against humanity and work toward a unified continental position on reparative justice.
Nigeria — Africa’s most populous country — is taking a particularly visible role in the campaign. In September 2025, Nigerian Senator Prince Ned Nwoko submitted a unilateral claim to the British government seeking $5 trillion in reparations for colonial harms, a figure that has shaped broader continental ambitions and underscored Lagos’ leadership in the reparations debate.
Despite the push from African capitals, the British government has rejected reparations claims, with officials in London dismissing them as “astonishingly hypocritical” and reiterating that the UK prefers to focus on modern partnerships rather than past colonial grievances.
Meanwhile, global public opinion is being shaped by academic and cultural interventions. The documentary “From Slavery to Bond” has reignited scrutiny of the British Empire’s legacy, connecting historical policies on resource extraction, arbitrary borders, and wealth extraction to modern crises across the continent. The film has been cited by advocates as lending moral and intellectual weight to the reparations argument (source supplied).
Analysts suggest that a unified African Union claim — if formally presented — would carry far greater geopolitical and legal weight than similar efforts by individual states. The next phase of the campaign is expected to involve consolidating a single historical assessment, finalizing legal strategies, and detailing the scope and structure of the reparations demand before any claim is submitted in international or British courts.
While the path to monetary awards remains long and legally complex, the collective initiative marks a pivotal shift in how African governments confront colonial legacies and assert their rights on the global stage.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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