The French interior minister has promised a “graduated response” after Algeria refused to cooperate on a list of around 60 Algerians whom France intends to expel.
For several months now, Algiers has been systematically turning back Algerian nationals who have committed criminal acts or become radicalised in the European Union. And the standoff with Paris is not about to end.
In a “moment of truth” the French government had been waiting for, Algeria has now decided not to follow up on a list of around 60 Algerian nationals considered to be threats to public order in France, and whose expulsion back to Algeria had been requested “as a priority” by the French Interior Ministry.
A press release issued by the Algerian diplomatic service on Monday evening insisted that “Algeria reaffirms its categorical rejection of threats and attempts at intimidation, as well as injunctions, ultimatums and any kind of threatening language”.
The message accused Paris of “calling into question the traditional channel for handling expulsion cases” and applying a “selective approach (…) to bilateral and international agreements”.
The statement also insisted that “Algeria is motivated only by the desire to fulfil its duty of consular protection towards its nationals”, and invited the French chargé d’affaires to “follow the usual channel, in this case that established between the French Prefectures and the Algerian Consulates” and to “proceed on a case-by-case basis”.
French Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau was quick to respond.
“I regret that Algeria refuses to apply international law,” he declared on his X account. “As decided by the interministerial committee chaired by the Prime Minister, a graduated response will be implemented.”
Rima Hassan, an MEP for the radical left-wing party La France Insoumise who holds the French government responsible for the deterioration in Franco-Algerian relations, immediately called for Retailleau’s resignation.
On the other side of the political spectrum, the far right has accused France’s top cop of impotence and called on the authorities to get tougher on their North African counterparts.
“The French people would not understand if the government did not react firmly to the many provocations by the Algerian regime, which is violating its treaty obligations”, declared Marine Le Pen, parliamentary leader of the National Rally (RN) party, on X.
Jordan Bardella, the young president of the party, said Retailleau has “his back to the wall”, and urged him to take action.
What can we expect?
The retaliatory measures to which Retailleau alluded could range from individual sanctions to calling into question all France’s agreements with Algeria.
The French government has already announced it is “suspending” the 2007 agreement that allows holders of Algerian diplomatic passports to make short stays in France without a visa.
And according to an internal Interior Ministry memo leaked to the press, the government might even consider “slowing down compensation” for victims of French nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara between 1960 and 1966.
While the 1968 migration agreements that facilitate the settlement and family reunification of Algerians are already in the government’s sights, they currently have very little effect on the movement and residence of Algerians in France.
This arrangement has been progressively unravelled over the decades, particularly given the knock-on effects of the Algerian civil war in the 1990s and the implementation of the Schengen area.
What’s more, the 1968 agreements penalised Algerian students who, unlike other students, were not entitled to a multi-annual residence permit and had to renew their visa every year.
On the other hand, the 1980 agreement, which was supplemented by a 2016 protocol, has proven less contentious. It grants social benefits to certain Algerians living in France, including pensions, family allowances and healthcare.
Relations between Paris and Algiers are complicated because of the country’s colonial past, but they have deteriorated particularly since last July, when Emmanuel Macron angered Algeria by recognising an autonomy plan for the Western Sahara region, under Moroccan sovereignty.
Although diplomatic ties have not been severed, French officials claim that Algiers is adopting a policy aimed at erasing France’s economic presence in the country, with trade falling by 30% since the summer, according to Reuters.
Another bone of contention is the arrest of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, 75, who has been in prison in Algeria since mid-November last year.
The intellectual and friend of Retailleau is being prosecuted for statements considered to undermine Algeria’s “territorial integrity, stability and the normal functioning of its institutions”.
According to French officials, some 10% of France’s 68 million inhabitants have links with Algeria.
