Algeria ‘will not be satisfied’ until martyrs’ skulls in France are buried in Algeria

Algeria will not “be satisfied until the skulls of the Algerian martyrs at Paris’ Musée de l’Homme are buried in Algeria,” the country’s Minister of Mujahideen Tayeb Zitouni has said.

“There is coordination on this issue between the Algerian Ministries of Mujahideen and Foreign Affairs and the Directorate of International Cooperation,” Zitouni said in a conference.

“Algeria’s ambassador to France has been contacted to maintain contact with the French authorities on this issue, subject to technical procedures,” he said.

“We really feel upset to see these skulls separated from the rest of their bodies for one and a half centuries, but this issue has something positive: it shows the true face of French democracy, equality and human rights,” Zitouni added.

He stressed that it is a “matter of honour” to all Algerians and that all diplomatic channels should be used “serenely but boldly” to repatriate the skulls belonging to Algerian resistance fighters killed by French Expeditionary Corps in the 19th century.