Trans-Saharan Railway

The Trans-Saharan Railway was a project conducted by France to build a rail line south through Algeria to sub-Saharan Africa. Its original intended use was to connect coal mines and boost trade throughout North Africa, tie together the French empire, and connect North Africa to sub-Saharan Africa.[1] The plan for the rail line was first proposed in 1879. An engineer, Monsieur A. Duponchel, was the creator of the large plan; however, it wasn't until the Vichy government that it was actively promoted.[2] It was viewed as a way to increase the integrity of the French empire and the spirit of the French nation as a whole.

The railway had numerous positive aspects. It would provide a fast connection to Sudan and enable Sudan's resources to be within France's reach. Additionally, the railway was supposed to transform the region and make it a leading producer in cotton and agricultural goods. The cattle population and rice production would increase dramatically and benefit society.[2]

World War II coincided with the construction of the railway which lead to it being built by slave labor in 1941-1942. Forced labor camps were dispersed throughout the country and the trans-Saharan railroad project connected them. Jews and other prisoners were forced to work on the project.[3]. The workers "were poorly fed and housed, and lived in terrible sanitary conditions. Tortures and atrocities were inflicted by the guards for the slightest breach of the rules; the internees were not treated as human beings. Many died from beatings; even more died from outbreaks of typhus or just from exhaustion and hunger."[3]

Ultimately, the trans-Saharan railway was never completed; only a small portion of the tracks was built. Construction stopped in 1944 due to lack of financial support, and in 1945 continuation was officially rejected.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Trans-Saharan Railway". Global Security. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ambiguous Modernity: Representations of French Colonial Railways in the Third Republic". The Western Society for French History. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "The Jews of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia". Yad Vashem - The World Holocaust Remembrance Center. Retrieved April 16, 2018.


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