France and Algeria agreed on Tuesday to restart high-level security cooperation during a visit to Algiers by French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, signalling the first concrete easing of strained relations in over a year. After talks with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Nuñez said both governments had decided to reactivate a senior security coordination mechanism covering intelligence sharing, policing, counterterrorism and judicial cooperation. He said implementation would begin “as quickly as possible” and operate “at a very high level.”
Relations deteriorated sharply in 2024 after Paris formally backed Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, a position opposed by Algiers, which supports the pro-independence Polisario Front. The dispute compounded other tensions, including migration and consular issues. Nuñez said Algeria had agreed to work with French authorities to improve cooperation on the readmission of Algerian nationals living irregularly in France, an issue that had stalled for months and fueled diplomatic friction.
Images released by Algerian authorities showed senior officials from both sides attending the meetings, including France’s domestic intelligence chief and Algeria’s head of internal security. The visit, planned for months at the invitation of Interior Minister Said Sayoud, had been repeatedly postponed amid the diplomatic standoff. Before travelling, Nuñez said he would raise drug trafficking, organized crime and terrorism areas where Algeria is a key regional player, sharing borders with Niger and Mali, both battling jihadist insurgencies. He also flagged the case of Christophe Gleizes, a French journalist jailed in Algeria on terrorism-related charges. It remains unclear whether the case was discussed with President Tebboune, from whom Gleizes’ family has sought a pardon.
