Can France move on from colonial past in Algeria without apology?

French President Emmanuel Macron meets historian Benjamin Stora for the delivery of the report on the memory of the colonisation and the Algerian war at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France [Christian Hartmann/Pool/Reuters]

As colonies gained independence, the war in Algeria from 1954 to 1962 was one of the world’s bloodiest conflicts.

While the report that led to the commission suggests testimonies from those who suffered during the conflict form a part of reconciliation, it is quiet on systematic abuses committed by French forces.

French President Emmanuel Macron is also refusing to offer an official apology, angering many Algerians.

Is reconciliation possible without repentance?

Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom

Guests:

Renaud Girard – chief foreign correspondent, Le Figaro

Youcef Bouandel – professor of Political Science and International Relations at Qatar University

Amel Boubekeur – sociologist and researcher at School of Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences