Nearly two years after the onset of the serious diplomatic crisis that has characterized relations between Algeria and France, Ambassador Stéphane Romatet may soon return to lead France’s diplomatic mission in Algiers, potentially facilitating a thaw in bilateral relations.
Signs of a gradual rapprochement between Algeria and France have, over recent months, been preceded by a resumption of high-level bilateral institutional contacts, as well as a softening of Algeria’s positions on issues related to the colonial past.
In particular, on March 9, the Algerian parliament approved the amendment requested by the Senate to the text of the law condemning French colonial rule, removing provisions that called for official apologies and broad compensation, thereby helping to at least partially ease the tone of the long-standing dispute with France.
This initiative, largely promoted by President Tebboune, was accompanied by talks between Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf and his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot, who on March 15 held a cordial telephone exchange after nearly a year of total absence of contact.
In the previous month, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had also traveled to Algiers for a two-day visit, restoring contacts with the Algerian government within the framework of security cooperation and marking further progress in bilateral relations.
The crisis between the two countries had entered a critical phase in 2024, following France’s support for the recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, triggering a dynamic of confrontation that Algeria soon reframed once again within the context of claims related to French colonial rule—an issue that remains sensitive and never fully resolved in relations between the two countries.
The announcement of the imminent return of the French ambassador to Algiers is therefore interpreted as a positive signal, capable of fostering the resumption of a more balanced and constructive bilateral dialogue, especially in light of the importance France holds for the Algerian economy.
At the same time, however, Tebboune’s openings risk being little more than symbolic, without initiating a more decisive and profound revision of the bilateral relationship, which remains burdened by the often inconsistent posture of Algerian institutions toward the former colonial power.
Despite the concrete steps taken on the diplomatic front, in fact, there appears to be no real political strategy in Algeria for redefining its relationship with France, with the risk that the current favorable moment could be frozen in a new limbo with uncertain outcomes.
It is also unclear whether the issue of Western Sahara will continue to represent a central point in dialogue with France, as well as, more broadly, the dimension of relations between Paris and Rabat, which have grown in scope and intensity over the past two years and are now certainly not negotiable in the context of a renewal of relations with Algiers.
Further complicating the resumption of relations between the two countries is the unstable nature of regional balances, strongly influenced by the impact of the new Trump administration and the increasingly assertive policies of Israel in Gaza and Iran. Tebboune and Algerian institutions are closely observing the growing frictions between President Macron, Trump, and Netanyahu, believing that French foreign policy contains elements of alignment with Algerian positions. No less important is the issue of the emerging energy crisis, which opens up opportunities for further cooperation with European countries and with France, where the government in Algiers could strengthen its already significant position and assume a leading role in the diversification processes of oil and gas supplies for major European countries.
Algeria is also actively engaged in developing the trans-Saharan pipeline project linking Nigeria to the Mediterranean through Niger, which offers the potential for a significant increase in the capacity to meet European demand. A project that many consider unfeasible, due to the high development costs and concerns about its secure operation across the increasingly unstable Sahel region.
This opportunity, however, could be seized by Algeria to consolidate economic relations with France, but it could once again be conditioned by demands from deeper layers of the Algerian “pouvoir” for a revision of French positions on Western Sahara, with the risk of another abrupt halt in relations between the two countries.
A critical element in the process of rapprochement between Algeria and France could also be Algeria’s ongoing efforts to restore the prerogatives of its regional influence in the Sahel, particularly with countries such as Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, which currently maintain very poor relations with Paris.
Algeria’s strategy is to rebuild a network of relations in the Sahel capable of isolating Morocco and reestablishing Algiers’ primacy, by strengthening ties with all those countries that are effectively positioned along a trajectory of opposition to France, the United States, and Israel.
Such an orientation is likely, in the short term, to bring the issue of Western Sahara back to the center of Algerian discourse, potentially placing France in a position where it must weigh its renewed relationship with Morocco in direct comparison with the uncertain opportunities offered by Algeria.
