The Position On Western Sahara Has Broken The Back Of Bilateral Relations

The French press focused prominently on the statements of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in response to the storm caused by the recent remarks of the French ambassador to Algeria, Stéphane Romatet, considering what is happening at the level of bilateral relations to be a new episode in the series of tensions that characterize the Algiers-Paris axis, while it was notable that the subject was ignored by the majority of right-wing and far-right outlets, which used to hold talk shows and interviews to insult Algeria and Algerians.

In this regard, the leading news channel in France, “TF1”, while reporting President Tebboune’s statements on its website, described what is happening between the two countries as a “new episode that comes after a deep crisis in which tensions escalated between Paris and Algiers in the summer of 2024 when France expressed its support for the autonomy plan under the (alleged) sovereignty of Morocco over the disputed territory of Western Sahara”, which caused Algeria to withdraw its ambassador from Paris, in a decision that served as a prelude to a series of events that further strained relations between the two countries.

It noted that one of the most prominent episodes of this escalation was the decision of the Algerian authorities last March to enact a law criminalizing the heinous practices of French colonialism in Algeria, a text that holds the French state “legally responsible for its colonial past in Algeria and the tragedies it caused”.

The leftist-leaning newspaper “Libération” paved the way for President Tebboune’s statements with an introduction reviewing the difficult stages bilateral relations have passed through, saying they have been “characterized by historical complexity since independence in 1962”, and noting that the future of these relations seemed to be in better shape after Emmanuel Macron described French colonialism as a “crime against humanity” and expressed his desire to “turn the page on the past”.

However, the newspaper pointed out that “the visa crisis in 2021, followed by France’s recognition of (alleged) Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in July 2024, ended this period of improvement”, before the crisis worsened with the arrest of the French writer of Algerian origin, Boualem Sansal, and the explosion of the crisis regarding the deportation of Algerians present on French soil illegally, as well as the arrest of Algerian consular employees in France, according to the same source.

For their part, both the private news channel “BFMTV” and the “France 24″channel, which is affiliated with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focused on their websites on President Tebboune’s statements, which set the record straight and contributed to ending the political and media debate in Paris regarding Algeria, which had given some the impression of Algerian suggestions regarding visas.

The same source noted that what is happening is merely an episode in a “deep crisis” that exploded in the summer of 2024 between France and Algeria, when Paris offered its support for an autonomy plan under the (alleged) sovereignty of the Moroccan regime regarding the disputed territory in Western Sahara, causing Algeria to recall its ambassador, who has not yet returned to his post.

Added to this, according to “France 24”, is an old crisis dating back to the remnants of the colonial era, which Paris has been unable to overcome due to the inability of successive French presidents to rid themselves of the Algeria complex, which seems to still be entrenched in the gears of the deep state in Paris, leading Algeria to respond by enacting a law criminalizing the practices of French colonialism in Algeria after years of hesitation for political considerations.

What is striking is that many outlets and channels associated with the far-right, such as “Le Figaro”, “CNews”, and “Europe 1”, which are accustomed to delving into every small and large detail related to Algeria, did not address the statements of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, which seem to have caused them embarrassment due to the absolute denial of any Algerian role in that French political and media storm.

Furthermore, many newspapers and websites covered the President of the Republic’s statements from a news perspective, quoting the “Agence France-Presse” (AFP), in what appeared to be an indication of directives from certain parties keen not to push matters toward further media deterioration.