Macron Condemns Sansal’s “Arbitrary” Detention, Warns Algeria

Watan-French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his “great” concern on Friday, during a press conference in Porto, about the “arbitrary” detention of Algerian-French writer Boualem Sansal in Algeria and his “health condition.”

Macron, who is on a state visit to Portugal, stated that “the situation of writer Boualem Sansal must be resolved, along with other factors, before full trust between France and Algeria can be restored.”

In what were considered “unencoded messages” directed at the Algerian authorities, primarily President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Macron indicated that the French government has the right to review migration agreements between the two countries due to Algeria’s refusal to accept deported Algerians from France.

On Thursday, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune chaired a meeting of the Supreme Security Council, attended by Army Chief of Staff General Saïd Chengriha, the Director of the Presidential Office, the Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs, the heads of internal and external intelligence, as well as other military and security leaders.

This meeting comes amid an unprecedented escalation between Algeria and France. On Thursday, Algeria warned the French government against tampering with the 1968 migration agreement and firmly rejected being “addressed with ultimatums, warnings, and threats,” emphasizing the principle of reciprocity.

The statement came from the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to a request from French Prime Minister François Bayrou on Wednesday to review agreements between Paris and Algiers, particularly the 1968 migration agreement, giving a deadline of one to six weeks for its revision.

The Foreign Ministry’s statement rejecting Bayrou’s request came after the Algerian presidency announced that President Tebboune had chaired the Supreme Security Council meeting.

The ministry stated: “Any tampering with the 1968 agreement, which has already been stripped of its essence and core, will result in a reciprocal decision from Algeria regarding other agreements and protocols of the same nature.”

The agreement is a special legal text governing the movement and residence of Algerians in France and has undergone several amendments, the most notable being the 1986 revision, which imposed a visa requirement on Algerian nationals.

In this context, Algeria stated that it “categorically rejects being addressed with ultimatums, warnings, and threats.”

It further asserted that it “will strictly and immediately enforce the principle of reciprocity on all restrictions imposed on movement between Algeria and France.”

Algeria warned that it “does not rule out taking additional measures if deemed necessary to protect national interests,” without specifying what those measures might be.

Algeria reaffirmed that it remains “keen on maintaining its international stature and committed to respecting the legal framework governing the movement of people between Algeria and France, without selectivity or deviation from its jointly determined objectives.”

It placed “full responsibility on the French side for violating national and international commitments by excessively and arbitrarily using administrative decisions to deport Algerian citizens and depriving them of legal recourse provided by French law itself.”

The latest escalation between Algeria and Paris follows a stabbing incident in the eastern French city of Mulhouse five days ago. French authorities accused an Algerian national, who had been subject to a deportation order, of carrying out the attack.

On Saturday, one person was killed and five others injured in a knife attack in Mulhouse, France, and the suspect was arrested at the scene.

French media reported that the attacker was born in Algeria in 1987 and had been issued a deportation order. However, according to the French government, Algeria refused to take him back 10 times.

On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced in a television interview, for the first time, that France had imposed restrictions on the movement and entry of Algerian officials holding diplomatic passports into French territory.

Paris resorted to using this measure—advocated by the far right—to pressure Algeria into accepting the deportation of its nationals subject to expulsion orders.

On Wednesday, Algeria expressed astonishment at the decision, calling it a “clear violation” of the agreement exempting diplomatic passport holders from both countries from visa requirements.

Algeria stated that it has “remained committed to calm, balance, and restraint, with the sole objective of exercising its rights and fulfilling its duties toward its citizens residing in France.”

It emphasized that French legislation, bilateral agreements, and both European and international law all support Algeria, particularly in matters of consular protection for its citizens.

Algeria accused Paris of “escalating tensions in bilateral relations” and stressed that it had not initiated any form of rupture, instead “leaving the French side to bear full responsibility alone.”

Algeria warned that a swift response to any alteration of the 1968 agreement would “allow the hateful and spiteful far right to achieve its goal of taking the Algerian-French relationship hostage, using it for vile political purposes that do not befit its stature or significance.”