Algeria begins second cleanup of French-era nuclear test sites

Algeria's defense ministry has launched a second decontamination operation at a former French nuclear test site, amid a dispute with Paris over waste-site maps.

• The Ministry of National Defense announced on Sunday the launch of a second decontamination operation at the "Beryl E2" test tunnel in Aïn Ekker, Tamanrasset province, southern Algeria.
• The operation, conducted with Algerian national capabilities, covers identifying radioactive zones, collecting nuclear waste, and storing it in dedicated concrete containers, the ministry said.
• The ministry accused France of evading its responsibilities and refusing to hand over records and maps of nuclear waste burial sites, which it said block development in Aïn Ekker and Reggane.
• Algeria launched its first partial cleanup on February 14 and continues to demand Paris release archives and maps of the nuclear tests it began in the Algerian Sahara in 1960.