French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez began a two-day visit to Algeria on Monday in an effort to revive security cooperation between Paris and Algiers.
Laurent Nuñez © Mena Today
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez began a two-day visit to Algeria on Monday in an effort to revive security cooperation between Paris and Algiers.
The trip, however, takes place against a backdrop of deep and persistent diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Relations sharply deteriorated in the summer of 2024 after France officially recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, a disputed territory claimed by the Polisario Front and backed by Algeria. The move angered Algerian authorities and marked a turning point in bilateral ties.
Since then, tensions have escalated through a series of incidents, including the abduction of an Algerian influencer critical of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s government, the arrest of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, the indictment of an Algerian consular official in France, and the subsequent expulsion of French diplomats from Algiers. These episodes have deepened mistrust on both sides.
Although no meeting with President Tebboune has been officially scheduled, Nuñez did not rule out the possibility. The visit appears to be a cautious attempt to reopen dialogue in a relationship strained by political disagreements and recurring diplomatic crises.
By Souad Merabet
Human Rights Watch has accused an Abu Dhabi-based security company of recruiting Colombian private military contractors and deploying them to fight alongside Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) between 2024 and 2025, adding to what the rights group describes as a growing body of evidence of Emirati military support for the paramilitary group.
Farmers across Sudan say the hike in global fuel and fertilizer costs resulting from the Iran conflict will force them to cut back on planting this summer, restricting food production in a country where war has caused acute hunger.
At least nine people were killed and six others injured when a four-storey building collapsed overnight in the Moroccan city of Fez, about 200 kilometres (124 miles) east of Rabat, local authorities said on Thursday.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.