Africa is the victim - Code Noire

“Africa is the victim”

– time for compensation demands, says an expert from Niger regarding the abolition of the French slavery law. But more precisely, it wasn't slavery that was abolished in France just now, but rather an old slavery law, the Code Noir, that was formally repealed in 2026; slavery itself had already been abolished in France in 1848. The Code Noir had regulated slavery in the French colonies since the 17th century and, despite the abolition of slavery in 1848, had never been formally repealed. The National Assembly has now voted unanimously to repeal it; according to reports, Senate approval was still pending, or the repeal took place on May 28, 2026. The Code Noir was enacted in 1685 under Louis XIV. If you count from this year to 1856 (a year in which slavery still existed in French colonies? No, it was finally abolished in 1848), you don't arrive at 371 years. In fact, the Code Noir is not a law abolishing slavery, but rather a set of rules for maintaining and regulating slavery in the French colonies. It codified the inhumane conditions, but did prohibit certain excesses (e.g., marriage between slaves without permission, but also the separation of families? – partly yes, partly no, rather contradictory). The vote by French parliamentarians to repeal the Code Noir should pave the way for a serious discussion about reparations, explained Ibrahim Salifou Bako, president of the civil society organization United Niger Federation. According to the expert, the history of the slave trade and slavery needs to be re-examined, but this responsibility lies primarily with African heads of state and government. African countries should use this French decision to demand reparations, he added. And that is precisely the crux of the matter. While the formal repeal of the Code Noir is only a symbolic act (since it has not been applied since 1848), it opens the door, both legally and politically, to the question of reparations. This does not automatically condemn France to paying reparations, but it does intensify the debate. Here are the key facts that explain the current situation: After the abolition of slavery in 1848, France paid 126 million gold francs—not to the freed slaves, but to the plantation owners as compensation for the loss of their "property." This would be equivalent to approximately 27 billion euros today. This historical fact is a central justification for current demands. Today's demands from activists and politicians in the overseas territories (such as Guadeloupe) call for a "genuine reparations program." They argue that the Code Noir caused "lasting historical, cultural, social, economic, and psychological damage" that is still evident today in structural racism and economic inequality (e.g., extremely high unemployment). President Macron's official stance was to support the repeal and, for the first time, not to object to the term "reparations." However, he warned against "false promises." He rejects concrete monetary payments—he sees reparations more as a process of truth, education, and coming to terms with history. France was not automatically obligated to make payments. But the formal abolition of this inhumane law sends a powerful political signal. It has so starkly highlighted the credibility gap between today's republican values ​​and the historical injustice that a renewed legal or political review of reparations now seems more likely.