By Mondafrique: Initially scheduled for December 2025 and postponed a second time in January, the long-awaited visit of the French Interior Minister was officially announced for February 16. Laurent Nunez himself had signaled his intention following the release from Algerian custody of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in November 2024.
The trip will formalize a resumption of relations between the two countries, reconnecting around shared concerns of Algiers and Paris: security cooperation in the Sahel, where France has ceded ground to Russia and Turkey, deportation orders (OQTF, obligations to leave French territory) championed by the previous Interior Minister, an issue too often framed through an electoral lens to appeal to right-wing and far-right voters. Finally, France is seeking a resolution to the case of sports journalist Christophe Gleize, imprisoned in Algeria since June 2025.
A Cautious Restart on Sensitive Issues
Nunez, a former Paris police prefect, stated two weeks ago that he was awaiting an “opening move” from his Algerian counterpart for a possible visit in the near term. The response was confirmed during a meeting between the two interior ministers on February 12 as part of preparations for the trip. The critical nature of this visit requires mutual understanding of unresolved issues.
Deportation Orders (OQTF)
This issue, heavily leveraged by Bruno Retailleau, former French Interior Minister in his campaign against Algiers, will be addressed outside its political dimension. On this issue, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said during a press conference on February 7: “Regarding deportation orders, we rejected them from a minister because he allowed himself to take Algerians, whom I swore to protect, put them on a plane, and send them back to Algeria.”
Algiers is demanding respect for the law and the implementation of agreements signed between the two countries. Sending a national back under an OQTF follows a clearly defined procedure. “If the courts order their expulsion, there is an appeal. We have agreements that govern this. Algeria must be informed, the consul must visit the person subject to the deportation order… If everything is in order, he signs the travel document,” the Algerian president continued, recalling the current procedure.
On the French side, Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s call for Algerian nationals living irregularly in Europe to return home is seen as a signal and a facilitating gesture to restart return flows. “We set minimal conditions (…) We asked that travel documents once again be issued and that Algerian nationals in irregular situations be received again, so that at least the flow can restart,” said the French Interior Minister.
Security Cooperation in the Sahel and the War on Terrorism
Since President Macron recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, security cooperation between Algiers and Paris has experienced a sharp break. Paris has lost strategic positions in its former Sahel strongholds to Russia and Turkey. Algeria shares borders with at least two of the three countries in the Alliance of Sahel States: Mali and Niger.
The French Interior Minister is traveling with stated optimism. “I am hopeful, I know I will go (…) We cannot continue in this absence of relations. Technical security discussions have already resumed.” Algeria is strengthening its presence in the alliance by reconciling with Niamey amid oil and gas interests. Bamako is negotiating Algerian fuel resupply and joint border management against smuggling and terrorism between the two countries. These recent developments favorable to Algiers are forcing France to reconsider its posture.
The Christophe Gleize Case
Arrested in May 2024, the journalist was sentenced on June 30, 2025 to seven years in prison, a sentence upheld on appeal on December 3. He is accused of having ties to the MAK (Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia), an organization classified as terrorist by the Algerian authorities. These accusations are disputed by Reporters Without Borders. The French journalist’s misfortune is that he became caught in the context of deteriorating diplomatic tensions between his country and Algeria, where he was working on a report about a Kabyle soccer club, JSK.
His parents, present at the trial in Tizi Ouzou, decided after the conviction to seek clemency by requesting a presidential pardon from President Tebboune. “I respectfully ask you to consider pardoning Christophe so that he may regain his freedom and return to his family,” wrote the journalist’s mother, Sylvie Godard, in a letter made public on December 10, appealing to the president’s “high benevolence.”
Negotiations will begin on the basis of this letter as a sign of goodwill for the resumption of relations between the two countries. In the current context within the Algerian system, President Tebboune can exercise his pardon power, as he did for writer Boualem Sansal.
In international relations, settling outstanding issues is recommended in order to move forward on new foundations. A presidential pardon is a fast lever, more effective than reopening the case judicially.
Toward Gradual Normalization
Since Bruno Retailleau left Place Beauvau (the Interior Ministry), tensions between France and Algeria have visibly eased. The announcement of his candidacy for the 2027 presidential election clarified his ambitions and sheds light on his actions while serving as interior minister. His standoff with Algeria, centered on deportation orders, was in reality a strategy to take control of the Republican Party, an essential tool for seeking the presidency.
“I will be the President of order, justice, and French pride,” Bruno Retailleau said in his 2027 campaign declaration. Algiers does not intend to remain on the sidelines of French politics. With a large community in France, it seeks to assert influence in the country’s political landscape. The Algerian president recently received Ségolène Royal, Former Minister who ran for the presidential election in France in 2007 , and newly appointed president of the France-Algeria association, who called from Algiers “to act for reconciliation and respect.”
For its part, Algiers is signaling goodwill. On February 11, 2026, the country has just ordered 5,000 tons of French soft wheat and 13,000 tons of French barley. This remains far from the 5.4 million tons in 2018, the start of a gradual decline in imports that fell to 1 million in 2023.
There is also talk of tire orders, as the country is experiencing a highly visible shortage. Many Algerians regret Michelin’s departure in January 2025 after sixty years of market dominance.
