At a conference in Algiers, African leaders urged official recognition of crimes committed during colonial rule and the establishment of reparations mechanisms to push an African Union resolution on justice and compensation for colonization victims.

Algeria's foreign minister underscored colonialism as an extreme example of conquest, tying Algeria’s stance on Western Sahara to the unfinished decolonization project.

He argued for a legal framework that makes restitution a defined obligation rather than a discretionary gesture.

The Togolese foreign minister criticized the UN’s effectiveness and called for African mobilization to reform international institutions, including the UN Security Council.

Dialogue connected reparative justice to broader governance reforms, highlighting Africa’s underrepresentation in global bodies and the need for structural reparations.

The Addis Ababa Declaration on the Transcontinental Partnership for Reparative Justice inspires Africa–Caribbean legal strategies and shared advocacy for global reparations.

Angola’s representative urged a common continental approach to reparations, advocating for shared curricula, cultural celebration of diversity, progressive development policies, and stronger diaspora ties.

There is a focus on practical outcomes: protecting heritage, returning looted artifacts, promoting cultural restitution, and adopting an African Day of Remembrance.

Key conference themes include criminalizing colonialism in international law, pursuing reparations, building continental unity, and mobilizing the diaspora to advance justice and development.

Efforts to reclaim looted artifacts from European museums are advancing, with concrete examples like the Baba Merzoug cannon still held in France.

Momentum is growing for returning looted artifacts and pursuing compensation and restitution for stolen property.

Rwandan and Namibian ministers called for education reforms to condemn colonial crimes and to involve youth in anti-injustice work, including curricular changes.