France doubts Algeria’s intentions behind Boualem Sansal arrest

France is casting doubt on Algeria‘s willingness to honour a roadmap to repair strained bilateral relations after Algerian authorities refused to release French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who was arrested on terrorism charges.  

“To follow the roadmap, it takes two,” French Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said during an interview with RTL Radio on Sunday.  

The roadmap, agreed upon by Paris and Algiers in 2022, was designed to usher in a new era of cooperation and historical reconciliation.

However, the agreement now appears on the brink of collapse, weighed down by renewed diplomatic tensions and mutual accusations.  

At the centre of the latest rift is a 75-year-old author and outspoken critic of the Algerian government, Boualem Sansal.

Born to a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother, Sansal spent decades decrying the Algerian regime’s authoritarian grip.  He was arrested in mid-November on charges of “undermining state security” and has since been detained in a medical unit.

The arrest sparked outrage in Paris. “I am concerned about his health,” Barrot said, adding that France remains “deeply committed to freedom of expression and opinion.”  

A divisive figure

Sansal’s charges, filed under Article 87 bis of Algeria’s Penal Code, broadly define acts threatening state security as “terrorism”.

The charges stem from comments Sansal made about the colonial-era borders between Algeria and Morocco, in which he accused the Algerian government of “inventing the Polisario Front to destabilise Morocco.”  

A naturalised French citizen since 2024, Sansal is best known for his dystopian novel, “2084: The End of the World,” a scathing critique of authoritarianism.

While his “literary prestige” earned him acclaim abroad, it has not shielded him from criticism in Algeria, where his pro-Israel positions and certain remarks viewed as Islamophobic made him a divisive figure.  

In a speech last week, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune dismissed Sansal as an “impostor” sent by France. The speech was later deleted from the Presidency’s Facebook page.

“[Tebboune’s] description of writer Sansal, a man deprived of his freedom and still under investigation, as a ‘nameless, fatherless thief’ is a glaring example of the official discourse,” said Rachid Aouine, head of Shoaa for Human Rights, a group that monitors and document human rights violations in Algeria.

“This statement is not merely a personal attack but constitutes direct interference in the judicial process, striking at the heart of the principle of judicial independence,” added the head of the London-based NGO.

Algiers also accused Paris of employing former Islamic State (IS) members to destabilise Algeria—a charge France categorically denied.  

Silencing dissent

Critics argue that Sansal’s prosecution is less about state security and more about silencing dissent.

Human rights advocates warn that Article 87 bis, with its vague definitions of “terrorist or subversive acts,” is increasingly being used to stifle criticism of the regime.  

Since the Hirak protest movement in 2019, Algeria has intensified its crackdown on dissent, banning protests and charging more than 200 activists and journalists with terrorism-related offences.  

Sansal’s case comes at a precarious moment for President Tebboune, who faces mounting domestic discontent and growing international scrutiny.

The political opposition has pushed Tebboune to engage in a national dialogue to ease tensions, fearing Algeria may follow a path similar to the downfall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, one of Tebboune’s allies.  

Sansal’s arrest also seems to carry a symbolic weight for Paris, which seeks to preserve “the best possible ties with Algeria” while standing firm on its principles—particularly when one of its own citizens is imprisoned abroad.

Diplomatic relations between the two states hit a new low last July when Algeria recalled its ambassador to France.

The move followed French President Emmanuel Macron’s public support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara, a long-disputed territory and a sensitive issue for Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front’s push for independence.

Macron’s visit to Rabat in October was viewed in Algiers as a calculated slight, further straining ties.