Algeria’s latest diplomatic retreat in its standoff with France appears to confirm a pattern identified according to which Algiers confrontational strategy- aimed at forcing Western powers to support separatism in the Sahara territory- repeatedly ends in concessions without gains.
Algeria had escalated tensions with Paris after France officially recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara territory.
Algeria- acting as the real party to the conflict- recalled its ambassador, froze cooperation and used migration leverage, particularly the suspension of deportations of Algerian nationals from France, as a pressure tool.
But a June 2 statement issued after talks in Paris between French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez and his Algerian counterpart Said Sayoud shows that the pressure campaign has largely collapsed. The document confirms the resumption of cooperation on expulsions, the reactivation of intelligence sharing and renewed security coordination, while France has not altered its support for Morocco on the Sahara conflict.
This outcome mirrors Algeria’s earlier confrontation with Spain, where it used diplomatic and economic pressure to no avail.
After attempting to block the return of deported nationals as leverage, Algeria has now formally committed to restoring cooperation on Obligations to Leave French Territory (OQTFs). The June 2 statement indicates that Algerian consulates will again process returns, effectively ending the migration pressure tactic Algiers had deployed during the crisis.
The agreement also opens the way to revising the 1968 bilateral migration accord- long presented by Algerian authorities as untouchable- on the basis of proposals initiated by France.
Algeria’s escalatory moves against both Spain and France have “backfired” and contributed to increasing isolation of the country ruled by men in uniform behind a thin civilian curtain.
In this context, the June 2 communiqué appears less as a diplomatic reset than as the confirmation of a strategic impasse. By lifting its own restrictions on deportations and restoring security cooperation, Algeria has effectively abandoned its main pressure tools, while France has preserved its support for a solution to the Sahara issue based on autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.
