Africa leaders seek compensation for UK ‘colonial crimes’

UK Flag. Photo: Ballymoney Chronicles

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Information has emerged about plans by some African leaders to seek compensation from the United Kingdom for crimes committed during the colonial era.

The move gathered momentum at a recent high-level conference in Algiers, where African policymakers met to map out a collective legal and diplomatic strategy aimed at securing reparations from former colonial powers, with Britain a central focus.

Participants at the meeting agreed on the need for colonial-era abuses to be formally recognised, criminalised and addressed through reparative justice.

The leaders are driving towards a coordinated continental push for reparations and historical accountability.

The discussions followed a resolution adopted earlier this year by the African Union, which calls for justice and compensation for victims of colonialism across the continent.

At the AU’s February summit, African leaders had proposed classifying colonisation as a crime against humanity and developing a unified continental position to pursue reparations.

Nigeria has emerged as one of the key drivers of the push.

It would be recalled that in September, Senator Ned Nwoko formally submitted a claim to the British government demanding $5 5tn in reparations for the economic, social and cultural damage inflicted on Nigeria during British colonial rule.

However, Britain has consistently dismissed calls for colonial reparations. UK officials have previously described such demands as “astonishingly hypocritical,” insisting that the country prefers to focus on present-day partnerships with African nations rather than legal responsibility for historical actions.

The African initiative also gained traction as a newly released documentary, From Slavery to Bond, reignited debate about the British Empire’s legacy, arguing that colonial policies on resource extraction, imposed borders and cultural dispossession laid the foundation for many of Africa’s contemporary political and economic crises.

The next phase of the plan is expected to focus on harmonising historical evidence, refining legal arguments and agreeing on the scope and structure of compensation demands.

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