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France’s strained relationship with Algeria has entered one of its most tense phases in recent years, after President Emmanuel Macron ordered the suspension of a long-standing visa exemption agreement for Algerian diplomats
In a letter to French Prime Minister François Bayrou this week, Macron said Algiers would be formally notified that the 2013 Franco–Algerian pact facilitating official entry into France is being halted.
“Algerian authorities have chosen to not respond to our calls over the past months to work together,” Macron wrote. “From now on, we have no choice but to adopt a stance of great firmness.”
Algeria responded swiftly, saying it would apply the same visa restrictions to French diplomats that
The move marks a sharp escalation in Macron’s approach to the North African nation, departing from his earlier preference for quiet diplomacy in managing the historically fraught ties between the two countries. Relations have deteriorated sharply since July 2024, when France recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, a disputed territory that Rabat wants internationally recognised as Moroccan and which Algiers supports an independence movement for.
Tensions deepened in November after Algerian authorities detained Franco–Algerian author Boualem Sansal, and further escalated in February this year when an Algerian national—whose deportation France had long sought—was arrested as the suspect in a knife attack in the city of Mulhouse that killed one person and injured three.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleauhas repeatedly pressed for a review of migration and visa arrangements with Algeria, citing its refusal to take back nationals subject to
The diplomatic rift also comes against a backdrop of significant economic ties. Algeria remains a major supplier of liquefied natural gas to France, and French energy giant TotalEnergies SE is a partner in Algerian oil projects. The suspension of the visa pact could complicate both political and commercial engagement between the two nations.
With inputs from agencies
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