French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has decided to implement his threats against the Algerian government and is going on the offensive: forty Algerian dignitaries are to have privileges they have enjoyed for many years withdrawn. The French government intends to show its anger at the Algerian authorities’ deadlock on the issue of deportations and the case of writer Boualem Sansal.
Discussions between Paris and Algiers have stalled, and no improvement is in sight.
In the space of a month, Algiers has refused to accept no fewer than four Algerian nationals deported from France. Le Journal du Dimanche revealed that one of them, known for Islamist radicalisation, was deported to Algeria on July 17th, but the authorities cited the lack of a consular pass and refused him entry into the country. However, he had a valid passport that should have allowed him to return to Algeria without difficulty. Despite this, the individual returned to France on the same day, dealing a blow to the minister of the interior, whose deportation orders ultimately prove ineffective. Three other men have experienced the same scenario and are now crowding administrative detention centres on French soil.
Another sensitive case is the imprisonment of writer Boualem Sansal, sentenced by the Algerian state to five years in prison for “undermining national unity”. Despite the forceful statements by Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot about France’s determination to secure his release, no concrete results have been achieved for the writer.
The interior minister therefore announced on Monday, July 21st, that he wanted to change tone and put an end to “diplomacy based on good intentions.” He has therefore carried out one of his threats and stripped around 40 Algerian dignitaries of their diplomatic privileges, which, under agreements concluded between France and Algeria since independence, allow them to travel to France, stay there, or receive medical treatment. A total of 80 dignitaries are expected to be affected in the coming weeks and will now be subject to the common rules on visas and residence permits.
The revocation of these privileges could foreshadow the denunciation of the 1968 Franco-Algerian agreement, which has been called for by many political figures in France but has always been postponed. This agreement grants special immigration status to all Algerian nationals, facilitating their stay, family reunification, and access to social benefits. It is now considered to be completely out of step with the current state of relations between France and Algeria. “There is complete agreement on this point,” according to the Ministry of the Interior. But the final decision rests with Emmanuel Macron, who is currently refusing to take action.
