Algeria launched a second operation Sunday to remove radioactive waste from a former French nuclear test site in the Sahara Desert, its Defense Ministry said, accusing Paris of withholding information needed for the cleanup.
– The operation is taking place at the “Beryl E2” test tunnel site in the In Ekker area of the southern province of Tamanrasset.
– Algerian teams are carrying out the work under Defense Ministry supervision in coordination with the national agency responsible for rehabilitating former French nuclear test sites, according to a ministry statement.
– The cleanup involves identifying radioactive areas, collecting nuclear waste and storing it in specially designated concrete containers. The ministry said the work would follow national and international safety standards.
– It accused France of evading its responsibilities and refusing to provide records and maps showing where nuclear waste was buried.
– The ministry said the remaining contamination continued to hinder development in In Ekker and Reggane, in the southwestern province of Adrar.
– Algeria began its first partial cleanup operation on Feb. 14 at Taourirt Tan Affella in the In Ekker area, according to the Algerian Press Service.
– France conducted its first nuclear test near Reggane in the Sahara Desert on Feb. 13, 1960 while Algeria was under French colonial rule. The test was code-named Gerboise Bleue, or Blue Jerboa.
– France carried out 17 nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara between 1960 and 1966, continuing the program for four years after Algeria gained independence in 1962.
– Algeria has long sought access to records and maps of the tests and waste burial sites to identify contaminated areas and address their consequences.
– The legacy of French colonial rule remains a source of disputes between the two countries.