"This system has a name: it is colonialism and I recognise the suffering that colonialism inflicted on the Algerian people," he said. In the audience were numerous mujahedeen veterans who fought in the vicious 1954-1962 war of independence from France that killed an estimated 1.5 million Algerians.
The French president said after arriving in Algiers on Wednesday that he had not come to say sorry for the crimes committed during the colonial period, as some, including a dozen political parties, have demanded. But he stressed the importance of recognising what happened as a way of beginning a new era in bilateral relations, saying nothing would come from "forgetfulness or denial".
Hollande referred to specific atrocities, notably the massacre at Setif, where nationalist unrest that broke out at the end of World War II was brutally suppressed by French forces, leaving thousands dead. "On May 8, 1945, when the world triumphed over brutality, France forgot its universal values," Hollande said. The truth should also be spoken about how Algeria gained its independence, "in this war whose name was not mentioned in France for a long time." "We have a duty to speak the truth about the violence, injustices, massacres and torture," he said, adding that doing so strengthened French-Algerian ties.
Algeria's Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci, in a first official reaction, welcomed Hollande's words for emphasising "the culture of peace and of respect for others" that he said were "two basic principles" of Algerian diplomacy. Algerian MPs also broadly saluted the speech as a step forward, despite some regretting the lack of an apology, and others cautious about the promise of change.
Hollande has "signalled a willingness to work with Algeria in a partnership between equals and to finally put an end to this neo-colonialist spirit that has tinged relations," said Zohra Drif, vice president of the Algerian Senate. The two countries are bound by human, economic and cultural ties. More than half a million Algerians live in France, and nearly 200,000 Algerians receive French visas every year, but many are also frustrated at not being able to obtain them to seek a better life in Europe.