On the day French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin visited Algeria, the domestic political debate in Paris over relations with the North African neighbor intensified. While the government of President Emmanuel Macron is pursuing a cautious rapprochement, the Rassemblement National (RN) is calling for a radical change of course: abandoning diplomatic restraint and adopting a tough policy with clear demands.
The cause of the new dispute stems from statements by RN spokesperson Laurent Jacobelli, who strongly criticized France’s policy toward Algeria. He argued that France has pursued a “bowing diplomacy” for years. Macron’s strategy would not produce concrete results. According to him, every phase of rapprochement is followed by new diplomatic tensions.
A relationship marked by the burden of history
For decades, relations between France and Algeria have been among the most complex in French foreign policy. The Algerian War of 1954–1962 continues to affect political and social relations between the two countries to this day. Issues of memory, migration, security cooperation, and economic cooperation are always intertwined.
Under Emmanuel Macron, there have been many efforts at historical reconciliation. Macron declared from the outset that colonialism was a “crime against humanity” — a statement that was received positively in Algeria but faced strong criticism in some parts of France. However, his term did not create a stable foundation for bilateral relations.
Tensions often flare up over issues involving visas, deportations, security cooperation, or historical statements by French politicians. There is also a domestic dimension: several million people of Algerian origin live in France, so every crisis between Paris and Algiers immediately creates social repercussions.
RN calls for a break with Macron’s approach
Laurent Jacobelli used Darmanin’s trip to launch a direct attack on the government. The RN party accuses Macron of being too conciliatory toward President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. According to the right-wing party, France should defend its interests much more firmly.
The focus of the demands is on two specific points: first, the RN is calling for more consistent deportation of Algerian citizens convicted in France or ordered to leave the country. Second, the party is demanding increased pressure on Algiers in the case of French journalist Christophe Gleizes, who is currently detained in Algeria.
The RN deliberately links these issues to the broader debate on migration. The party has argued for years that France should use diplomatic and economic leverage more decisively to persuade countries of origin to cooperate in repatriations. Algeria is considered a particularly difficult partner because readmission procedures often slow down or are politically instrumentalized.
With the term “Aplaventrisme” — essentially “servility” — the RN also seeks to portray Macron as a weak head of state who would not vigorously defend France’s interests. This strategy is part of the party’s broader foreign-policy positioning, which favors national sovereignty and demonstrative firmness.
Darmanin’s delicate mission in Algiers
Officially, Gérald Darmanin’s trip is intended to restore judicial cooperation between the two states. In recent months, diplomatic relations had deteriorated considerably. Several political disputes and mutual accusations had placed a heavy burden on cooperation.
Darmanin is now trying to reopen at least channels of dialogue at the technical level. The two countries are mutually dependent, especially in the areas of criminal enforcement and legal cooperation. France needs Algeria’s cooperation, for example on extraditions and repatriations; Algeria, in turn, is interested in economic stability and security cooperation.
The minister’s task is politically very sensitive. On the one hand, Paris cannot allow the impression to arise domestically that it is making concessions to Algiers. On the other hand, a prolonged deterioration in relations would be problematic for both countries.
This is because Algeria plays a strategic role for France: in energy, migration and security. Especially since Russia’s war in Ukraine began, Algeria has gained geopolitical importance as a gas supplier. Europe is indeed making greater efforts to find alternative energy partners in the Mediterranean region.
French domestic politics intensify the rhetoric
The debate over Algeria has long been part of the struggle for domestic political power in France. The RN uses this issue to put pressure on the government on both security and migration policy. The party exploits a social climate in which questions of national identity and state authority are debated with increasingly intense emotions.
The government, by contrast, seeks to maintain a balance. Representatives of the pro-presidential majority warn against defining relations with Algeria solely through the symbols of domestic politics. A prolonged diplomatic rupture would not only put economic interests at risk but could also seriously complicate cooperation on migrants and counterterrorism.
Left-wing parties also largely reject the RN’s call for a hard confrontational line. They argue that historical sensitivity and pragmatic diplomacy are necessary to build lasting and stable relations.
At the same time, impatience is also growing among centrists over the often problematic cooperation with Algeria from the French perspective. Particularly regarding the repatriation of people ordered to leave the country, French authorities have complained for years about a lack of cooperation.
Between pragmatism and power politics
Gérald Darmanin’s visit illustrates the complexity of Franco-Algerian relations in a typical way. Paris faces a strategic dilemma: a tougher approach may be supported domestically, but it comes with considerable diplomatic risks. Meanwhile, a policy of dialogue is increasingly interpreted by the opposition as a sign of weakness.
Moreover, Algeria also uses tensions for political purposes. President Tebboune often presents himself domestically as the defender of national sovereignty against the former colonial power. Every confrontation with France therefore also carries symbolic significance in Algerian domestic politics.
It is still uncertain whether Darmanin’s visit will actually lead to a reduction in tensions. More likely, in the initial phase, there will be a cautious stabilization of certain individual areas of cooperation. However, the underlying conflicts — migration, historical memory and issues of political influence — will probably remain.
Algeria policy therefore remains a sensitive area for France, where diplomacy, history and internal power struggles are inextricably intertwined.
P.T.