Has the Undeclared Truce Between Algeria And Paris Ended?

The Algerian side was forced to come out with affirmations that helped put many dots on the i’s, regarding what has been raised for over a week of debate among some French officials, in which Algeria was implicated, through the words of more than one official in the government of Sébastien Lecornu, and concluded with the Élysée Palace entering the fray /

The Algerian clarification came from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in a video clip on the Presidency of the Republic account on the “Facebook” platform, through which he confirmed that he had never requested a visa “quota”. He said: “I emphasize three things to Algerians before our French friends, that the Algerian President never requested a ‘quota’ for visas or a certain number of visas, rather we never talked about this file at all. Also, I never requested an apology or compensations”, from the French side.

For over a week, Algeria was dragged into discussions among the French against its will, and members of the French government excelled in giving the impression that Algeria had entered into discussions or negotiations with Paris to increase the number of visas, since the interview given by the French Ambassador to Algeria, Stéphane Romatet, through which he expressed his hope to increase the number of visas for Algerians to reach 250,000.

This interview left a strange stir within French political circles, which was fueled by ministers in the current government, such as Naïma Moutchou, Minister of Overseas Territories, and the Minister Delegate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in charge of Europe, Benjamin Haddad, and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, and the matter even reached the Élysée Palace, which discussed the issue in the Council of Ministers meeting last Wednesday, during which Emmanuel Macron tasked the French government spokesperson, Maud Bregeon, with emphasizing that France “will not falter” on the visa file, in a hostile and gratuitous stance.

Despite the Algerian side’s commitment to silence to avoid fueling political bickering, however, with the recurrence of provocative statements by French officials, it was forced to clarify that the matter is nothing more than a storm fabricated by the French in which they drowned, and that Algeria has no role in it, as stated by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

So, are we facing the end of the undeclared truce between Algeria and Paris, which began with the visit of the French Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, in February 2026, and was followed by other visits by French officials, such as the Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals, Gérald Moussa Darmanin last May, and before him in the same month, the Minister Delegate to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, Alice Rufo.

Commenting on what is happening at the level of relations between Algeria and France these days, a former official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that the two countries have not been able to turn the page on accumulated differences enough to build on them in order to overcome the crisis, and confirmed that French intransigence in some files cannot lead to a result that satisfies both parties.

The diplomatic source said in a statement to “Echorouk” that “relations between Algeria and Paris have not improved in a way that allows them to develop, because the French side sought in an excessively pragmatic way to obtain what it was looking for, in exchange for ignoring Algerian demands that cannot be compromised in any peer-to-peer relations”.

He pointed out here that the visits of French ministers to Algeria had a clear goal, which was to seek gains in terms of migration, security information exchange, and restoring cooperation in this framework, embodied by the visit of Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, as well as fighting organized crime, embodied by the visit of Justice Minister Gérald Moussa Darmanin, which are visits that have not resulted in anything tangible so far, due to the French side’s lack of commitment to the concerns raised by the Algerian side, such as recovering looted funds and handing over those involved and wanted by Algerian justice.

The  latter noted that the visa card played by the French side cannot be considered an effective card, because it is only on the table with Paris, while Algerians can resort to other options in the Schengen area which are available as he said, by virtue of the quality of Algeria’s relations with other European countries in the Schengen area, which led him to say that “French intransigence cannot bring any benefit”.

The source expected that bilateral relations would gradually overcome their crisis in the future, while observers believe that the differences may extend until the end of French President Emmanuel Macron’s term, which ends next spring at the earliest.