Tensions between Algeria and France have skyrocketed following a series of high-profile detentions. French authorities have this month detained many Algerian nationals living in France for allegedly instigating violence and hate online targeting rivals of the Algerian administration.
Boualem Naman, an Algerian national, was arrested on January 5 and expelled from France. But upon his appearance at Algiers airport, authorities denied his entry, reportedly claiming that Naman should be presented the chance to uphold himself in France, thus calling his return. This resulted in a diplomatic situation between the two nations, with the French interior minister blaming Algeria for trying to humiliate his government.
On November 16, the Algerian government detained French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal. He was apprehended shortly after coming to Algeria, and he is being charged under an article of the penal code on terrorist or provocative actions against the constitutional order and state security. Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune called Sansal an impostor dispatched by France to disrupt the country’s public order.
The two governments’ positions on both the bilateral connection and regional politics have sharply diverged. Last July, France indicated for the first time that it would acknowledge an autonomy project for the Western Sahara territory, albeit under Moroccan sovereignty, which led to Algeria’s outrage and strong censure, with the government giving a formal statement calling the conclusion unexpected, badly-judged, and counterproductive.
Many members of the Algerian political system consider that the ties have also worsened due to the growing political opinion of the far right in France, whose anti-immigration approaches heavily affect Algerian nationals.
The breakdown of the relationship grows even beyond recent strains and problems related to Western Sahara and Morocco. The essence of the problem between Algeria and France appears to have much more serious roots, which lie in the neglect to determine a real postcolonial reconciliation strategy and in France’s ongoing denial of encountering a necessary reinterpretation of its position in the country. For instance, current studies indicate that the French school system continues to refer to colonialism as having favorable outcomes in addition to negative effects, enraging Algerians.
With France and Algeria unable to commit to a productive discussion on the importance of their bilateral ties, it appears quite unlikely that they will be capable of managing a favorable turnaround of the present state of emergency in a short time. Algeria’s suspicion of increasing international isolation, associated with increasing internal pressures in French domestic politics, chances aggravating misconceptions between the two nations.
If left unhindered, these arguments could cause France and Algeria toward an irreversible rupture in their concerns reminiscent of Paris’s prudent breaks with its one-time partners in the Sahel region.
