France and Algeria Ease Tensions via Security Pact

Algeria and France have moved to restore a structured channel for judicial, police, and intelligence cooperation, signaling cautious stabilization after a prolonged period of diplomatic friction.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced Tuesday that both governments agreed to formally reactivate a high-level security coordination mechanism during meetings in Algiers.

The framework spans judicial coordination, police cooperation, intelligence exchange, and migration-related issues, including repatriation procedures.

Nunez described the objective as reestablishing “normal security relations,” adding that implementation would begin “as soon as possible.”

Security Channel Reopens First

The agreement followed Nunez’s two-day visit to Algeria and talks with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Interior Minister Said Sayoud, and senior security officials. French officials framed the mechanism’s revival as a practical step to rebuild communication after months in which security cooperation became the primary surviving line of dialogue between Paris and Algiers.

Officials emphasized that cooperation would proceed at a “very high level,” particularly on counter-terrorism and migration management. However, neither side characterized the move as a full normalization of relations.

Legacy of Diplomatic Confrontation

Relations deteriorated sharply following a series of disputes culminating in the April 2025 diplomatic crisis. That rupture began when French authorities arrested an Algerian consular official in Paris over the alleged kidnapping of opposition activist Amir Boukhors. Algeria responded by expelling 12 French officials, prompting France to expel 12 Algerian diplomats and recall its ambassador. The tit-for-tat measures froze high-level political engagement.

Earlier tensions had also been fueled by France’s July 2024 policy shift supporting Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Western Sahara, a position Algeria strongly rejected. The disagreement amplified existing sensitivities tied to migration policy, visa restrictions, and unresolved debates over colonial history.

Earlier Attempts at Reset

The current step echoes prior efforts to relaunch ties. In April 2025, Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Abdelmadjid Tebboune agreed to restore cooperation on security and migration.

They also revived a joint historian commission tasked with examining colonial-era archives, with findings scheduled for summer 2025.

Planned visits by France’s justice and foreign ministers were intended to advance judicial and economic cooperation, though progress stalled amid renewed diplomatic tensions.

The fragility of France’s broader engagement with Africa had already been under debate. In August 2023, 94 French senators warned President Macron in an open letter about declining cooperation across the continent, asking: “After French Africa, are we doomed to destroy France in Africa?”

Migration and Judicial Tests Ahead

The revived mechanism places migration management and judicial cooperation back at the center of bilateral engagement. These files remain politically sensitive in both countries, shaping visa policies, deportation procedures, and law enforcement collaboration.

Analysts note that the durability of the thaw will depend less on symbolic gestures and more on operational outcomes - extradition coordination, intelligence sharing, and dispute resolution mechanisms.

For now, officials on both sides present the reactivation as a functional reset designed to stabilize security ties while broader diplomatic disagreements remain unresolved.