Algeria: Toxic colonisation

play Live Sign upShow navigation menuNavigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedSportOpinionVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomyHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelSponsored Contentplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftTrendingUS-Israel war on IranTracking Israel's ceasefire violationsDonald Trumpcaret-rightplay videoplay videoVideo Duration 51 minutes 36 seconds play-arrow51:36Featured DocumentariesAlgeria: Toxic colonisationThe French army’s illegal use of chemical weapons in Algeria’s war of independence, as revealed by testimony and documents. This film is about how the French army secretly used chemical weapons in the Algerian independence war, in contravention of international law. The documentary presents archival evidence and personal testimony from former French soldiers and Algerian fighters, exposing France’s violation of the 1925 Geneva Protocol. Historian Christophe Lafaye’s evidence includes a letter from a senior army commander to the government in 1956, which refers to the “use of chemical means”. France set up a Special Weapons Unit in December 1956, using the same CN2D gas as in World War I, to target Algerian fighters in mountain caves. Of the estimated 8,000 to 10,000 incidents, only 440 attacks have been documented so far. One of the most devastating attacks was at Ghar Ben Shatouh in March 1959, in which an estimated 150 civilians were killed. Despite this, France did not formally ban chemical weapons until 1993, more than 30 years after Algeria’s independence. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoMore from the same showUnited States at 250: Seven tests of the American experimentVideo Duration 25 minutes 28 seconds play-arrow25:28Iran, Israel and the BombVideo Duration 01 hours 09 minutes 50 seconds play-arrow01:09:50The Population BustVideo Duration 24 minutes 46 seconds play-arrow24:46Strait of Hormuz: How a threat became a playbookVideo Duration 12 minutes 32 seconds play-arrow12:32Blood, Sweat and SugarVideo Duration 01 hours 32 minutes 07 seconds play-arrow01:32:07Iran: From Khamenei to KhameneiVideo Duration 12 minutes 53 seconds play-arrow12:53Latin America: In the Shadow of the US | Ep 3 – ChaosVideo Duration 47 minutes 16 seconds play-arrow47:16AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: