French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin arrived in Algiers on Monday, becoming the third French minister to visit the country in three months, in the clearest sign yet of a thaw in relations after a prolonged diplomatic crisis triggered by Algeria after Paris expressed its outright support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara territory and for its autonomy plan.
The visit follows those of Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez in February and Armed Forces Minister Alice Rufo earlier in May, whose discussions with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune led to a new agreement to strengthen security and defense cooperation.
The crisis dates back to 2024, when France fully backed autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty to end the Sahara issue. As a reaction, Algeria showed the world it is the real party to the conflict by recalling its ambassador and sharply reducing bilateral engagement.
Relations were further strained by the arrest of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in November 2024, and French journalist Christophe Gleizes.
Algeria rejected to take its illegally residing nationals and went further in its provocative moves to kidnap an Algerian dissident in Paris.
Opposition figure in Paris, Amir Boukhors, known as Amir DZ, was abducted on April 29, 2024, in Seine‑et‑Marne. The case escalated further when a serving Algerian consular official was placed under formal investigation and detained in France in April 2025 on suspicion of involvement in the operation, according to judicial sources.
Algeria was hoping its refusal to cooperate on migration and security matters with France would push the latter to backtrack from its support for Morocco on the Sahara. Paris has maintained its Sahara position unchanged, and the issue has largely receded from current bilateral discussions.
Instead, talks are now centered on practical resumption of cooperation by Algiers on matters including migration, security coordination, and the judiciary.
Observers note that the current dynamic highlights a shift in leverage after months of confrontation. France has held firm on the Sahara issue while progressively restoring dialogue, with Algeria now acknowledging defeat without having secured any change in Paris’ position.
The sequence recalls a similar episode with Spain, which also faced a sharp Algerian backlash after backing Morocco’s autonomy plan, only for relations to be normalized later without any reversal from Madrid.
