France and Algeria have resumed diplomatic talks after months of strained relations hurt Paris’ economic interests in its former colony.
The tensions began last July when French President Emmanuel Macron recognized a plan for autonomy for the Western Sahara region under Moroccan sovereignty, angering Algeria.
Since then, trade between the two countries has plummeted, with French firms facing obstacles in administrative authorizations and financing.
Wheat imports have been particularly affected, with France shipping only one vessel to Algeria in the 2024/25 season, compared to several million tons annually in recent years.
The relationship has also soured to the point where security cooperation, including over Islamist militancy, has stopped.
The detention of 80-year-old Franco-Algerian author Boualem Sansal, sentenced to five years in prison, has further worsened the relationship.
The spat has fed into domestic politics in both countries, with French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau calling for a review of a 1968 pact that makes it easier for Algerians to settle in France.
The relationship between France and Algeria is complicated, with a traumatic past dating back to the 1954-1962 war, in which Algeria won independence.
Macron has pushed for more transparency regarding France’s past with Algeria, while also criticizing Algeria’s “politico-military system” for rewriting the history of its colonization by France.
