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Brighty Ann Sarah and R Preetha
15 May 2025 |
Conflict Weekly # 280-81, 15 May 2025, Vol 6, No.s 19 & 20
In the news
On 12 May, Algeria expelled 15 French diplomatic officers and on 11 May, it expelled two French intelligence operatives on the grounds of using “fake diplomatic passports.”
On 14 May, France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, stated: "The departure of agents on temporary missions is unjustified and, as I did last month, we will respond immediately and in a strong and proportionate manner.” Following the statement, he expelled Algerians holding diplomatic passports without visas.
On the same day, Algeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated the move was “not a coincidence as it happens in a very specific context with the aim of stymying the process of relaunching bilateral relations.”
This marked the second round of diplomatic expulsions from France since April, when 12 Algerian diplomatic and consular staff were expelled and a French ambassador to Algeria was recalled.
Issues at large
First, a brief background to France-Algeria relations. Algeria was a French colony during 1830-1962. The period was marked by violent conquest, economic exploitation, and the brutal Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962). Algeria has repeatedly demanded France’s acknowledgement and apology for the colonial atrocities, especially for the massacres in 1945. This was reflected in the Algerian parliament's decision in March 2025 to relaunch draft legislation criminalising French colonialism. Despite political tensions, France-Algeria relations have grown in the economic sector. By 2023, trade between the two countries reached nearly EUR 12 billion, with around 6,000 French companies investing in the country. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, Algeria's mineral exports to France stood at USD 6.84 billion in 2023. According to Algerian government sources, its exports are dominated by hydrocarbons at 90.74 per cent, with France being a key export destination, receiving 13.27 per cent of them as of 2023. On the social front, France is home to a vast Algerian diaspora. According to a 2025 Reuters article, an estimated ten per cent of France's 68 million population has links to Algeria, including immigrants and their descendants.
Second, recent tensions in France-Algeria relations. In October 2021, Algeria recalled its ambassador to France and banned French military overflights following Macron’s remarks on Algeria’s pre-colonial nationhood and the government's fostering of anti-French sentiments. In response, France reduced visas for Algerians and pressured Algeria to repatriate undocumented migrants. A thaw followed Macron’s visit to Algiers in August 2022, where he acknowledged colonial “crimes” and established a joint historians’ commission to examine France’s 130-year rule. However, he rejected a formal apology. In April 2024, the relations deteriorated when an Algerian critic, Amir Boukhors, was kidnapped in France. France arrested an Algerian consular employee over the incident, prompting Algeria to expel 12 French diplomats. In response, France expelled 12 Algerian diplomats and recalled its ambassador from Algiers. The relations plummeted in 2024 when France shifted its support to Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara, a long-disputed region between Algeria and Morocco.
Third, France’s recent setbacks in Francophone countries. Since 2020, France had to withdraw its troops and end military cooperation with Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Chad. Three reasons behind the withdrawal were French troops’ failure in addressing the insurgency in the region, growing public anti-French sentiments and discontent over France’s involvement in the internal affairs of the respective countries.
In perspective
First, Algeria’s stance against France. Algeria’s tit-for-tat response against French expulsions and swift retaliation to France’s visa restrictions and Western Sahara policy demonstrates a resolute stance against its former coloniser. Its growing assertiveness and retaliation align with broader African sentiments on opposing foreign interference.
Second, France's waning influence in Africa. The current diplomatic tension between France and Algeria comes against the backdrop of eroding French influence in Francophone countries. While France loses its traditional colonial partners to China, Russia and other private military enterprises, Paris is looking for alternative partners in the region. However, France took a controversial approach to align with Morocco on Western Sahara. It has angered Algeria and led to the resurfacing of historical colonial issues, leading to diplomatic tensions.
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