French ambassador returns to Algeria in bid to ease Paris-Algier tensions
Summary
France has sent its ambassador back to Algeria after more than a year to help improve relations between the two countries. This visit included attending ceremonies remembering a colonial-era massacre and signals a willingness to reopen honest dialogue despite past tensions.Key Facts
- France’s ambassador, Stéphane Romatet, returned to Algeria after being recalled more than a year ago.
- The recall happened after France supported Morocco's claim over Western Sahara, which Algeria opposes.
- French Deputy Armed Forces Minister Alice Rufo attended ceremonies in Algeria to mark a 1945 massacre of Algerian protesters by French colonial troops.
- The 1945 crackdown reportedly killed up to 45,000 people according to Algeria.
- Relations between France and Algeria declined in 2024 following political and legal disputes, including the arrest and later pardon of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal.
- An Algerian consular official was charged in France over the alleged abduction of a critic of the Algerian government.
- A French sports journalist, Christophe Gleizes, was jailed in Algeria on terror charges and recently withdrew his appeal in hopes of a pardon.
- Recent visits by French officials suggest a diplomatic thaw aiming to restore dialogue and address historic and current issues.
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