French-French Debate Revolving On The Crisis With Algeria

The fragile calm characterizing Algerian-French relations these days has caused a state of political and media debate among rivals in France. While the new Minister of Interior, Laurent Nuñez, reiterated his media “outings” flirting with Algeria, historian and expert on Algerian-French relations, Benjamin Stora, affirmed that the crisis that has hit bilateral relations since the summer of 2024 cannot be overcome with the ease some on the northern shore of the Mediterranean speak of.

In an interview with the French Minister of Interior for “La Tribune Dimanche”, published on Sunday, November 16, 2025, Laurent Nuñez said, “What allowed us to rebuild relations with Algeria was, first and foremost, our declared readiness within the government to reopen discussions. This is the position I also took when I assumed the ministry.”

The French official expressed a strong desire from his country to restore security cooperation, which has been suspended for nearly 18 months. The goal behind this, Laurent Nuñez says, is “simply because we need the Algerians to take back their irregular nationals and issue them entry permits in accordance with the provisions of the 1994 agreement. We need to reopen security channels with Algeria, which is a key party in the fight against terrorism in particular.”

However, Algeria defends the rights of its nationals based on the Labor and Consular Interests Agreement signed between the two countries in 1974, which in some of its articles concerns the right to consular protection that consular services of either country can provide to their nationals, in case of their arrest on the territory of the other country.

Article 33 of this agreement, signed on May 25, 1974, states that “the authorities in the host state must inform the consulate of the sending state of any measure restricting freedom taken against one of its nationals, in addition to specifying the charges that led to this measure, within a period ranging from one to eight days from the day of this person’s arrest, detention, or deprivation of liberty in any form.”

While Laurent Nuñez appears optimistic about the future of bilateral relations, historian Benjamin Stora affirms that the specificity of relations between Algeria and France makes it not easy to return to normal, especially given the French side’s focus on issues concerning it, while ignoring the concerns of the Algerian side, which cannot be waived given their validity and legitimacy.

In an interview with France Inter radio on Saturday, November 15, 2025, Benjamin Stora said, “Relations between Algeria and France are very difficult and complex, because they involve the aspect of emotions charged with pain” inherited from the somber colonial era.

He added, “We have gone through a very difficult year, during which Algerians felt there was an organized campaign against them in France, while the French spoke of a lack of cooperation from Algeria in repatriating nationals who had been issued expulsion orders from French territory.”

Stora, who is an advisor at the Élysée Palace for memory affairs, stressed the difficulty of the task from the French side: “132 years of colonialism cannot be erased with a single gesture, a single speech, or a single act. The matter is much deeper than this. The issue concerns a settler colony, the Algerian War of Independence was terrifying, among its most prominent manifestations was the displacement of more than two million Algerians within the country, the destruction of three thousand villages, and the French are ignorant of all this, just as they are ignorant that the invasion lasted for about half a century, accompanied by horrific massacres, and this cannot be easily erased from the memory of Algerians.” Therefore, a giant workshop on the memory file is necessary.

In the same context, the political and media scene ignited a debate between the French President’s camp and his political opponents. What was striking this time was the former Minister of Interior, Bruno Retailleau, breaking his silence, defending himself as accused of exacerbating relations between the two countries.

He said in a statement to the French media: “The crisis between Algeria and Paris did not begin with my appointment to the French Interior portfolio.”

He added in a brief statement: “It must be acknowledged that the explosion of the crisis between the two countries came directly after the French President (Emmanuel Macron) recognized the “(alleged Moroccan regime’s) sovereignty over Western Sahara,” in a direct message to the Élysée Palace, which tried to hide behind Bruno Retailleau’s statements to justify its country’s failure to achieve what it aspired to with Algeria.