French President Emmanuel Macron announced a decision to accelerate the declassification of documents related to the 1954-62 war of Algeria for independence from France, AFP reported.

The move comes amid a series of steps taken by Macron to reconcile France with its colonial past and its violent history with Algeria, which was ruled by France for 132 years until independence in 1962.

The Elysee Palace said the archival services would be allowed to use a new procedure for declassifying documents from 1970 and earlier that were previously kept secret for national security purposes. This includes archives related to the war in Algeria, the statement said.

According to French law, almost all of the archives of the French state, including those on defense and security, can be open to the public after 50 years, with the exception of information that could endanger the safety of some people. 

However, the complex and lengthy inquiry process prevented researchers and scientists from working with these archives. The new procedure will significantly reduce the time, the Elysee Palace noted.