Reggane / Reganne
French nuclear tests in the Sahara were held in two different sites named Reggane [Reganne] and In Ecker. The date of France's first nuclear explosion retained by General de Gaulle at the meeting of the Defence Council on 17th June 1958 was the beginning of 1960. The place chosen for this experiment was the Sahara and, more precisely, the Reganne oasis 700 km south of Colomb Bechar, then an integral part of French Algeria. This test, which was eventually to take place on 13th February 1960 at 7.04 a.m., was then placed under the responsibility of the Commandement Interarmees des Armes Speciales (CIAS), commanded by General Ailleret. On 16th March the French Government announced: "The power of the nuclear device tested at Reggane on 13th February was between 60 and 70 kt and the result of the explosion was particularly satisfactory."
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