Harkis deprived of burials: a layette and bracelet found among the bones of babies, transferred in secret

Nearly 70 families found themselves in the Harki camp in Rivesaltes on Monday, April 28 in search of the remains of their loved ones. Veterans Minister Patricia Mirallès promised them answers, they go back unremarkable. A dozen plans to file a complaint for DNA tests.

Four bodies of adults and those of about 50 children under the age of three were discovered in caisses, within the municipal cemetery of Rivesaltes in the Pyrénées-Orientales, confirmed Monday 28 April 2025 the minister delegated to veterans. These bones were indeed transferred from the camp of harkis in the greatest secret, almost 40 years ago.

Archaeological excavations partially lift the veil on the fate of the deceased of Camp Joffre, but crucial questions persist. Research on the old cemetery of the camp of Rivesaltes, where dozens of harkis and their children were resting, has made it possible to establish with certainty its location and its disappearance. The investigations, conducted by archaeologists, [...] Read more The mystery of the missing cemetery of the harkis in Rivesalt…

On Monday, April 28, 2025, Dominique Garcia, President of the Inrap, presented Patricia Miralles, Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Army in charge of Memory and Veterans Affairs, with the final report of the forensic archaeology operation conducted in the fall of 2024 at Camp Joffre de Rivesaltes. Sponsored by the Minister in order to be able to meet the expectations of the families, the purpose of this operation was to find the location …

Patricia Mirallès, Minister Delegate for Memory and Veterans Affairs, will be back in Rivesaltes this Monday, April 28, 2025. Two months, almost day to day, after her last visit that encouraged...