2026-02-14
Dear Jerry,
For decades, communities living near nuclear test sites have carried a legacy of harm. Families were exposed to radioactive fallout, lands were contaminated, and people suffered illnesses without knowing why. Many survivors were never warned, never protected, and often never heard. Even today, some communities continue to live with polluted environments and unanswered questions about their health.
On 13 February 1960, the French government detonated the first of 17 nuclear explosions over Algeria. They left a legacy of secrecy, radioactive waste and harmed communities.
Nuclear testing is unacceptable, and one way to make sure it never happens again is to help people understand the stories of those who survived. Will you help share that today?
In our effort to abolish nuclear weapons, we are also striving for nuclear justice. It's why the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is so important, as the only treaty recognising the harms caused by nuclear weapons use and testing, and including an obligation to help victims and remediate the environment.
ICAN is proud to join the call by survivor communities to insist France fully acknowledge its responsibility for the testing in Algeria, provide sustained technical and financial support for health monitoring and environmental remediation programs, and join the TPNW.
Thank you for helping to share these stories and this call for nuclear justice.
In solidarity,
Venessa Hanson,
Social Media Officer
ICAN is the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
Place de Cornavin 2, Geneve 1201, Switzerland