7,500 Algerians fall victim to French colonial-era mines

ALGIERS, April 3 (Xinhua) -- An Algerian association said on Tuesday that 7,500 Algerians have fallen victim to anti-personnel mines dating back to the French colonial era.

"From 1956 to 2017, there were 7,500 victims either killed or injured by anti-personnel mines scattered by the French colonial army on the Algerian soil during the national revolution (1954-1962)," said Mohamed Djouadi, president of the Algerian Association for Mine Victims.

He made the remarks a day before the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

In December 2005, the UN General Assembly declared April 4 as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

The latest victims of the French colonial era landmines were recorded last year in the eastern provinces of Tebessa and Sidi Belabes, where two people were disabled.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Alioui, secretary general of the National Union of Algerian Peasants (UNPA), called on France to take responsibility by paying compensations to these victims.

He also hailed the role of army troops in conducting wide-scale mine removal operations to reduce casualties.

The Algerian army announced last year the end of a 50-year operation to remove border landmines planted by French colonial army by destroying nearly 9 million mines.

The operation cleared 62,000 hectares of lands for use in development projects, it noted.

The government said the destruction of mines illustrates Algeria's commitment to Ottawa Treaty, which aims at banning the use, storage, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines.

Between 1956 and 1959, French colonists planted mines along Algeria's borders with Morocco and Tunisia as part of the Challe and Morris Line, a defensive line of electric fences, minefields and other military barriers, built to prevent weapons smuggling for the Algerian Revolution.

In 2007, France gave Algeria a map marking the locations of millions of mines the French occupation forces had planted inside the country, which sped up the mine-removal process.

Many Algerians, especially children and shepherds, have been reportedly killed or disabled by the colonial-era mines. Enditem