Algeria and France Agree to Rebuild Relations After Two Years of Tension

Following more than two years of diplomatic tension, a 48-hour series of meetings between Algeria and France concluded with progress on migration issues, combating synthetic drug trafficking, and an agreement to review a historic treaty dating back 58 years that has long been a source of sensitivity between the two nations.

The discussions took place on Tuesday, May 2, in Paris, involving French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and his Algerian counterpart Saïd Saioud. The French Interior Ministry described the talks as a resumption of dialogue and a step toward rebuilding genuine relations.

Regarding migration, the ministry’s statement highlighted that frank and practical discussions confirmed the renewal of sincere cooperation aimed at increasing the pace of migrant returns. Laurent Nuñez announced in May the resumption of deportations of "illegal" Algerians back to their country.

Nuñez noted that Algeria had issued approximately 140 consular transit documents, which authorize the return of its nationals. However, the authorities did not clarify how the removal orders for Algerian nationals residing illegally in France would be implemented.

This migration issue remains a central element in Franco-Algerian relations. Cooperation on this front had been suspended for months but showed marked improvement following Nuñez’s visit to Algiers. Signs of renewed issuance of consular transit permits necessary for deportations in cases where individuals lack passports have also appeared.

A political source familiar with the matter told "Iram News" that since late March, appointments at consulates and visits by Algerian consular services to administrative detention centers have resumed. During these visits, files are reviewed and the identities of individuals subject to deportation procedures are verified.

There has been a slight increase in deportation operations, though from the French perspective, the numbers remain far below the expected deportation levels for 2024.

In 2025, about 5,000 Algerians were detained, representing over 30 percent of total detentions. They constituted the largest group among detainees, yet only around 6 percent, or 264 individuals, were actually deported, according to French sources.

Associations working in detention centers in France provided additional figures: among 322 Algerian detainees at the Vincennes detention center, only 19 were deported, most of whom held passports. At the Toulouse detention center, 501 Algerians were detained in 2025, with only 20 deported.

By comparison, in 2024, 25 percent of Algerian detainees in detention centers were deported to their countries of origin, totaling 1,124 individuals—more than four times the number expected for 2025.

Some Algerian media outlets reported that Algeria recently issued 179 consular transit permits but expressed surprise that the French administration had used only 90 of them.

The French Interior Ministry also stated that combating synthetic drug trafficking and other narcotics, as well as pursuing fugitives involved in organized crime, remain priority areas of cooperation between the two countries.

The discussions also addressed the 1968 Franco-Algerian agreement, with both parties deciding to work based on concrete proposals initiated by France to develop the treaty. France has been calling for a review of the 1968 agreement since 2024. In November 2025, the French parliament adopted a resolution proposed by the National Rally party condemning the agreement.

In response, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf stated that the matter is "purely a French issue."

After months of tension, Laurent Nuñez’s visit to Algeria resulted in the resumption of relations between Paris and its former colony, which gained independence in 1962. The crisis began in the summer of 2024 following France’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan "under Moroccan sovereignty" for the disputed Western Sahara region.

Before Saïd Saioud’s trip to France, at least three French government members had visited Algeria in recent months to restart high-level contacts. Laurent Nuñez’s visit in February 2026 was followed by visits in May 2026 from Alice Rouvo, State Delegate Minister for the Armed Forces, and Gérald Darmanin, Minister of Justice.