New French Provocation Threatens Fragile Rapprochement with Algeria
French authorities have once again demonstrated that they are not genuinely committed to pursuing a path of de-escalation with Algeria or restoring bilateral relations, which have been mired in an unprecedented political and diplomatic crisis for nearly two years. Recent actions by officials in Paris—widely seen as enjoying the backing of the Élysée Palace—suggest a recurring pattern of undermining positive momentum whenever signs of reconciliation begin to emerge.
The latest episode centers on the administration of French President Emmanuel Macron, which continues to pursue policies viewed as favoring certain partners in the western Mediterranean over others, while showing little regard for Algeria’s geopolitical interests. This approach comes despite France’s awareness of the sensitivity of the issue and its potential consequences for relations that have only recently shown signs of recovery.
Shortly after presenting his credentials on July 1, and even before receiving formal approval from the Moroccan royal palace to officially assume his duties, France’s newly appointed ambassador to Morocco, Philippe Lalliot, traveled to the occupied Western Sahara city of Laayoune. The visit is expected to cast a shadow over the tentative rapprochement achieved between Algeria and France in recent months.
According to a statement published by the French Embassy in Rabat on its Facebook page, Ambassador Lalliot held meetings with Moroccan officials in the occupied territory. During his visit to the French school Paul Pascon in Laayoune—an institution that was established unlawfully—the ambassador reaffirmed France’s “commitment” to supporting Morocco’s presence (occupation) in Western Sahara. This position runs counter to international law and United Nations resolutions, which classify Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory whose final status remains unresolved.
France’s stance on Western Sahara has been the principal source of its diplomatic rupture with Algeria. Tensions escalated sharply after President Emmanuel Macron announced on July 30, 2024, France’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan as the sole basis for resolving the conflict. Algeria responded by recalling its ambassador to Paris, Mohamed Antar Daoud, for consultations—a position that remains vacant despite France’s subsequent return of its ambassador to Algiers. The dispute also led to the suspension of political dialogue and security cooperation between the two countries, although limited cooperation resumed following the visit of French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez to Algeria in February.
The ambassador’s visit comes at a particularly delicate moment, amid reports in the French press suggesting that Paris was seeking to resolve another major obstacle in bilateral relations: the detention of an Algerian consular official in Paris since April 12, 2025, which Algeria maintains violates diplomatic norms and international conventions. French newspaper Le Monde reported last week that the official’s release could be linked to a possible Algerian pardon for French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes during upcoming Independence and Youth Day celebrations.
The visit by France’s newly appointed ambassador to the Moroccan regime to the occupied Western Sahara territories is likely to hamper the progress achieved between the two countries over the past few months, a period marked by reciprocal ministerial visits. This is because the Western Sahara issue has long been one of the deeply rooted geopolitical pillars of Algeria’s diplomatic doctrine. Suffice it to say that this issue was the direct cause of the breakdown in bilateral relations, in response to the French recklessness—a position that President Abdelmadjid Tebboune described in one of his meetings with the national media as “an unfriendly stance.”
