Algeria launched a second operation Sunday to remove radioactive waste from a former French nuclear test site in the Sahara Desert, its Defence 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 Defence 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.
Withholding maps and records
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 February 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 Februaryu 13, 1960 while Algeria was under French colonial rule. The test was code-named Gerboise Bleue, or Blue Jerboa.
Seventeen nuclear tests
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.
