The authorities prepared a list of more than 2,000 persons who went missing during the Algerian War (1954-1962), and plan to hand it over to the French authorities to uncover their fate.
France returned early this month the skulls of 24 Algerians of the popular resistance.
Algiers had officially asked for the return of the bodies in 2018, as well as requesting the handover of colonial archives.
A leading official at the National Organization of Mujahideen told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Organization has been working on the issue of those reported missing for the past five years in cooperation with the Ministry of Mujahideen.
“We were able to shortlist the names of more than 2,000 people who were executed by the colonial army and police in cities and villages,” he said.
Algerian Minister of Mujahideen Tayeb Zitouni expressed his country’s commitment to settling four issues with France, namely the missing Algerians, the recovery of the remains of Algerian popular resistance martyrs, national archives of the liberation war and compensation for the Algerian victims of French nuclear tests.
"We will continue with the recovery of other remains of the heroes of Algeria, using researchers and scientists specializing in identification,” he said.
Regarding the missing, the Minister confirmed that "a list of more than 2,200 Algerians who disappeared during the national liberation war has been presented to France.”
The list includes, among others, the names of Maurice Audin, Djilali Bounaama, M'hamed Bouguerra and Larbi Tébessi.
