Did you know that in 1960, a nuclear explosion four times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb rocked the Sahara Desert?
When we think of nuclear testing, we often picture the American deserts or Pacific atolls. But one of the most significant and controversial chapters of the atomic age took place in Algeria.
Between 1960 and 1966, France conducted 17 nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara. The first of these, code-named Gerboise Bleue (Blue Jerboa), didn’t just mark France’s entry into the nuclear club; it left a toxic legacy that is still being felt today.
The “Blue Jerboa” Awakens
On the morning of February 13, 1960, at 7:04 AM, the silence of the Reggane district in the Algerian Sahara was shattered.
France detonated its first atomic bomb, Gerboise Bleue. The explosion was massive, with a yield of 70 kilotons. To put that in perspective:
- Hiroshima (Little Boy): ~15 kilotons
- Gerboise Bleue: ~70 kilotons
The mushroom cloud turned the desert sky an eerie blue—hence the name—and sent a shockwave that announced France as the world’s fourth nuclear power, joining the US, USSR, and UK. But while Paris celebrated a technological victory, the ground zero in Algeria was becoming a nightmare.
Why Algeria?
The timing was critical. In 1960, the Algerian War of Independence was raging. France was determined to prove its global standing and military independence.
Even after Algeria gained independence in 1962, the secret Evian Accords allowed France to continue using the Saharan sites for nuclear experiments for another five years. The tests eventually moved from atmospheric explosions in Reggane to underground detonations in the Hoggar mountains at In Ekker.
The Fallout: A Continent Covered
The official line at the time was that the tests were conducted in “uninhabited” areas. History tells a different story.
- The Spread: Radioactive fallout from Gerboise Bleue didn’t stay in Reggane. It stretched across North Africa, reaching as far as Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Sudan, and even across the Mediterranean to Sicily and Spain.
- The “Guinea Pigs”: In April 1961, during the Gerboise Verte (Green Jerboa) test, French soldiers were ordered to advance toward the impact zone shortly after detonation. Later reports revealed this was a deliberate manoeuvre to study the “physiological and psychological effects” of nuclear weapons on humans.
- The Locals: The nomadic Tuareg population and residents of nearby oases were exposed to the fallout. Without proper warnings or protection, many suffered from radiation-related illnesses that would plague them for decades.
The Accident at In Ekker
One of the most terrifying incidents occurred on May 1, 1962, during an underground test code-named Béryl.
The sealing of the underground shaft failed. A massive cloud of radioactive rock and dust erupted from the mountain, contaminating the site and exposing high-ranking officials and soldiers who were observing the test. The panicked officials fled, but the damage was done. The mountain remains radioactive to this day.
The Toxic Legacy Today
More than 60 years later, the dust has settled, but the danger hasn’t.
- Health Crisis: Local populations in the affected regions have reported higher rates of cancer, birth defects, and blindness.
- Buried Secrets: France buried radioactive waste and equipment in the sand. For years, the Algerian government has requested detailed maps of these waste sites to protect its citizens, a request that has been a source of ongoing diplomatic tension.
- Sandstorms: When sandstorms blow north from the Sahara today, they occasionally carry traces of Caesium-137—a radioactive isotope from those very tests—back into European skies, a haunting reminder that what happens in one part of the world rarely stays there.
The story of France “nuking” Algeria is more than just a history lesson; it is a cautionary tale about the cost of power.
The 17 explosions in the Sahara helped shape the modern geopolitical landscape, but they also left a scar on the land and its people that has yet to heal. As declassified documents slowly reveal the full scale of the impact, the “Blue Jerboa” serves as a stark reminder of the invisible, enduring price of the nuclear age.
Map Story in Short: Why Did France Nuke Algeria
17 nuclear explosions—that’s how many times France bombed Algeria. France wanted to become a nuclear superpower alongside the US and the Soviet Union.
In 1960, France detonated its first nuclear bomb in the Algerian Sahara, codenamed Gerboise Bleue (“Blue Jerboa”), with a 70-kiloton blast, over four times stronger than the Hiroshima bomb.
From 1960 to 1966, France conducted 17 nuclear tests in the Sahara. Worse, the French never evacuated local tribes or warned them about radiation; most had no idea the danger lingered for years.
In fact, France deliberately left soldiers, prisoners and civilians near blast sites to study the effects of nuclear explosions on humans.
But why test in Algeria instead of at home?
Algeria was a French colony then. But even after gaining independence in 1962, France conducted 13 underground tests in a facility beneath the Hoggar Mountains under the Evian Accords.
For decades, France stayed silent about the true extent of the contamination. Only in 2010 did they finally compensate some victims, with $11 million to divide among them.
