France and Algeria to revive security ties in diplomatic thaw

France and Algeria agreed to restart high-level security cooperation, signalling a potential easing of diplomatic tensions between the two countries that started in 2024, as reported by The New Arab staff plus agencies on February 18th.

The breakthrough came during a visit to Algiers by French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez on February 17th, who met Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. Following their talks, Nunez announced that both sides had agreed to “reactivate a high-level security cooperation mechanism”.

The renewed partnership will focus on judicial coordination, policing and intelligence sharing, with cooperation expected to resume “as quickly as possible” and operate at a “very high level”, according to the French minister. Discussions also included improving collaboration on migrant readmissions, after months of Algerian refusals to accept nationals living irregularly in France.

Images released by Algerian authorities showed senior security officials from both countries in attendance, including France’s domestic intelligence chief and Algeria’s head of internal security. Nunez’s visit, made at the invitation of Interior Minister Said Sayoud, had been planned for months but repeatedly delayed.

Relations between Paris and Algiers have been strained since 2024, when France formally backed Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory. Algeria supports the pro-independence Polisario Front, and the move deepened longstanding tensions between the former colonial power and its North African partner.

The two countries share deep economic, security and migration ties, but their relationship has long been shaped by the legacy of Algeria’s 1954–1962 war of independence from France. Periodic diplomatic crises have punctuated cooperation efforts, particularly over migration policy and regional geopolitics.

Before travelling, Nunez said he intended to address a range of security concerns, including drug trafficking and counterterrorism. Algeria plays a key strategic role in the Sahel region, sharing borders with both Niger and Mali, which have faced persistent militant violence.

Ahead of the trip, the French minister had also raised the case of Christophe Gleizes, a French sports journalist serving a seven-year sentence in Algeria on charges of “glorifying terrorism”. It remains unclear whether the issue was discussed during his meeting with Tebboune. Gleizes’s family has requested a presidential pardon.

The New Arab staff plus agencies, Maghrebi.org