By Staff, Agencies

Algeria has launched a second operation to remove radioactive waste from a former French nuclear testing site in the Sahara Desert, with the Defense Ministry accusing France of withholding crucial information needed to complete the cleanup.

The operation began on Sunday at the Beryl E2 test tunnel site in the In Ekker area of southern Algeria’s Tamanrasset province.

According to a Defense Ministry statement, Algerian specialized teams are conducting the operation under military supervision and in coordination with the national agency responsible for rehabilitating former French nuclear testing sites.

The cleanup involves identifying contaminated areas, collecting radioactive materials and transferring nuclear waste into specially designed concrete containers for secure storage. The ministry said all activities would be conducted in accordance with national and international safety standards.

However, the ministry accused France of continuing to evade its responsibilities by refusing to hand over records, documents and maps identifying locations where radioactive waste was buried during its nuclear testing program.

It warned that the remaining contamination continues to obstruct development efforts in In Ekker and Reggane, located in the southwestern province of Adrar.

Algeria’s latest initiative follows an earlier partial cleanup operation launched on February 14 at Taourirt Tan Affella in the In Ekker region, according to the Algerian Press Service.

France conducted its first nuclear test in the Algerian Sahara near Reggane on February 13, 1960, while the country was still under French colonial rule. The test, code-named Gerboise Bleue [Blue Jerboa], marked the beginning of France’s nuclear testing program in the region.

Between 1960 and 1966, France carried out a total of 17 nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara, continuing its testing activities for four years after Algeria gained independence in 1962.

Algeria has repeatedly demanded access to historical records, technical documents and maps detailing the locations of nuclear tests and radioactive waste burial sites, arguing that such information is essential to identifying contaminated areas and addressing the long-term environmental and health consequences.

The issue remains a major point of contention between Algiers and Paris, with Algeria continuing to press France to acknowledge its responsibilities and provide the information necessary to address the lasting consequences of its colonial-era nuclear testing program.

The radioactive legacy of French nuclear activities in the Sahara continues to cast a shadow over relations between the two countries decades after Algeria’s independence.