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Algerian President Considers His French Counterpart the Sole Reference for Resolving Disputes, Stating the Current Conflict is “Fabricated but Now in Safe Hands”

In an interview broadcast on Saturday evening, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune stated that French President Emmanuel Macron is the “sole reference” for resolving disputes between their two nations. This new, more flexible stance suggests that Tebboune is reconsidering the escalation policy he previously pursued, which failed to yield positive results.

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Relations between the two countries have been strained due to France’s attempt to deport Algerian nationals and Macron’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Moroccan Sahara in July last year. Recently, both sides have taken retaliatory measures, including the French government compiling a secret list of 800 Algerian elite figures—prominent officials required to provide additional documents to justify their travel to France—amid rising tensions and countermeasures between the nations.

In an interview with representatives of the national press, broadcast on Algerian television, Tebboune stated, “The only reference for resolving disputes with France will be the French President alone and no one else.”

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He added that, from his perspective, there had been “a moment of misunderstanding,” but that Macron remains the French President, and all issues should be settled directly with him or his appointed delegate, specifically their respective foreign ministers.

Tebboune described the current dispute as “fabricated” without specifying by whom but noted that “it is now in safe hands.” He also expressed full confidence in his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Attaf, whose ministry has previously accused Algeria of being the victim of a “conspiracy orchestrated by the hateful and spiteful French far-right.”

The Algerian President affirmed, “We are dealing with two independent states: a European power and an African power. We have two presidents working together, and everything else does not concern us.”

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Algeria and France have recently experienced heightened tensions over various issues. The friction escalated when France attempted to deport several Algerian “influencers” residing in its territory, prompting strong reactions from the Algerian side.

In this context, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau threatened to resign if Algeria did not take back its nationals deemed security threats, warning that failure to do so could lead to a revision of the 1968 agreement that grants special privileges to Algerian citizens in France.

For its part, Algeria rejected what it described as threats and ultimatums, emphasizing its commitment to the rights of its citizens residing in France.

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In an official statement, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted, “Amidst the escalation and tensions instigated by the French side in its relations with Algeria, our country has not initiated any form of rupture but has instead left the French side to bear full responsibility.”

Amid these tensions, France has refused to extradite former Algerian Minister of Industry Abdel Salam Bouchouareb, who faces corruption charges totaling 100 years in combined sentences.

A turning point in Algeria-France relations occurred when Macron announced in July 2024 his support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for Moroccan Sahara under the kingdom’s sovereignty. This decision triggered a confrontational stance from Algeria, leading to a war of words between officials from both countries. The situation worsened after a knife attack in Mulhouse, France, perpetrated by an Algerian national who had been issued a deportation order but was refused re-entry by Algeria.

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The dispute deepened further following the arrest of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal at Algiers airport on November 16. Algerian authorities were angered by comments Sansal made in an interview with the French newspaper Frontier, known for its ties to the French far-right. In the interview, Sansal echoed Morocco’s claim that part of its territory was annexed to Algeria during French colonial rule, as reported by Le Monde.

Sansal stated, “Cities in western Algeria, such as Tlemcen, Oran, and Mascara, were historically part of Morocco.” He criticized the Algerian regime, accusing its leaders of “inventing the Polisario Front to destabilize Morocco.” In response, Algerian authorities labeled him a “professional falsifier.”

The French Committee for the Support of Boualem Sansal has called for a demonstration in Paris on Tuesday to demand his release, arguing that the ten-year prison sentence sought by the Algerian public prosecutor is tantamount to “a death sentence.”

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In a statement published in La Tribune Dimanche, the committee wrote, “It is our collective duty—as committed citizens, human rights activists, defenders of freedom, and cultural figures—to thwart this sinister plan.”

Among the signatories are committee chairwoman and former Constitutional Council member Noëlle Lenoir, former minister Jean-Michel Blanquer, and writers Georges-Marc Benamou and Alexandre Jardin.

The Algerian public prosecutor requested a ten-year prison sentence for Sansal, 80, on charges including undermining Algeria’s national unity, according to French publisher Gallimard.

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The Algiers Criminal Court of Dar El Beïda is set to deliver its verdict on March 27 in the case of the renowned novelist, known for his criticism of both the Algerian government and Islamists. Sansal has been imprisoned in Algiers since November 16, according to Echorouk and the Algerian Press Service.

The support committee further stated, “Against his will, Sansal has become a hostage of the increasingly strained relationship between Paris and Algiers.”

The signatories of the appeal also stressed, “It is clear that the strategy of calm dialogue and ‘soft’ methods has so far yielded no tangible results.” They warned that Sansal’s health is deteriorating “day by day” due to “his detention and his battle with cancer.”

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