The roots of recent Algeria-France tensions are deeper than it may seem
A series of high-profile arrests has sent tensions between Algeria and France skyrocketing. But there’s more behind the countries’ dwindling relationship.
French authorities have this month arrested several Algerian citizens living in France for allegedly inciting violence and hatred online targeting opponents of the Algerian government. One such Algerian national, Boualem Naman, was arrested on January 5 and promptly expelled from France. But upon his arrival at Algiers airport, authorities refused his entry, reportedly arguing that Naman should be offered the opportunity to defend himself in France, thus ordering his return. This all led to a diplomatic crisis between the two countries, with the French interior minister accusing Algeria of “trying to humiliate” his country.
In addition, just before the new year, Algerian political activist Abdelwakil Blamm was also arrested for allegedly taking part in a terrorist organization and publishing false and malicious news through his social profile on Facebook. Critics argue that these arrests are targeted and part of a crackdown campaign to silence opponents, a move that worries European authorities for the potential reversal of what is left of Algeria’s freedom of expression.
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Blamm is an activist, well known in the country for his fierce criticism of the government. Meanwhile, and as reflected by the charges brought against Blamm, authorities accuse him of being linked to a foreign terrorist network, in whose favor he allegedly spreads false information.
Earlier, on November 16, Algerian authorities arrested French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who is known for being critical of Algeria’s political leadership and has been accused by local authorities of threatening Algerian national security. He was arrested shortly after arriving in Algeria, and he is being prosecuted under an article of the penal code on terrorist or subversive acts against the constitutional order and state security. Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune himself has spoken on the subject, calling Sansal an impostor sent by France to destabilize the country’s public order. According to some reports, Algerian authorities may have been offended by Sansal’s comments to a French news outlet about Western Sahara being part of Morocco.
But even beyond this recent escalation of tension, however, the bilateral relationship has been progressively deteriorating in other areas.
The two countries’ positions on both the bilateral relationship and regional politics have increasingly diverged. Last July, France signalled for the first time that it would recognize an autonomy plan for the Western Sahara region, albeit under Moroccan sovereignty, leading to outrage and strong condemnation from Algeria, with a formal statement from the government calling the decision “unexpected, ill-judged, and counterproductive.”
Several members of the Algerian political system believe that the relationship has also deteriorated due to the increasing political assertion of the far right in France, whose anti-immigration policies heavily impact Algerian citizens. At the same time, however, some French officials and politicians—including members of Macron’s government—have criticized Algeria and its increasingly anti-French drift.
Yet, the deterioration of the relationship extends even beyond recent tensions and issues related to Western Sahara and Morocco. The nature of the crisis between Algeria and France seems to have much deeper roots, which lie in the failure to define a real postcolonial reconciliation process and in France’s persistent refusal to engage in a critical reinterpretation of its role in the country. For example, recent studies suggest that the French school system still refers to the colonial period as having positive effects in addition to negative consequences, angering Algerians.
With France and Algeria apparently unable to engage in constructive dialogue on the substance of their bilateral relations, it seems quite unlikely that they will be able to manage a positive turnaround of the current state of crisis in the short term. Algeria’s fear of growing international isolation, coupled with growing internal tensions in French domestic politics, risk aggravating misunderstandings between the two countries. If left unchecked, these disputes could push France and Algeria toward an irrevocable rupture in their relations reminiscent of Paris’s diplomatic breaks with its former allies in the Sahel region.
Karim Mezran is director of the North Africa Initiative and resident senior fellow with the Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council.
Nicola Pedde is the director of the Rome and Brussels-based Institute for Global Studies.
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Image: People with Movement for Self Determination of Kabylia flags at a rally for the release of Boualem Sansal in Paris, France, January 26, 2025. Des personnes avec des drapeaux du Mouvement pour l autodetermination de la Kabylie lors d un rassemblement pour la liberation de Boualem Sansal a Paris en France le 26 janvier 2025.