The French Foreign Ministry, known as the Elysée, has announced that Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune talked over the phone with French peer Emmanuel Macron on Monday and agreed that Tebboune’s state visit to France, which had been put off multiple times, will happen for sure this time ahead of the Algerian presidential elections. However, the stalling does not seem to end here, as no date was set for the event. The Elysée leaves us with a loose time range of late September-early October, making us wonder if all is good.
The visit was initially scheduled for May, 2023, and rescheduled to June of the same year–as Tebboune had other plans involving a trip to Russia–then put on hold until the recent announcement came up. Prior to that, contrasting announcements were made on both sides.
Back in December, 2023, Algeria had said that the timing of such a visit was not good, as some essential prerequisites were not met, citing such highly contentious issues as the notorious “Memory” file, migrants’ free movement, and France’s nuclear weapons testing in the Algerian Sahara.
When Algeria brings about the heavy artillery of the “Memory”, it surely refers to the bitter colonial past of France. Algeria accuses the French colonization forces of horrendous atrocities which cost the lives of 1.5 million Algerians, a figure France deems fanciful and unrealistic as it neither matches the demographics nor the population growth curve at that time (1956-1961). French analysts believe Algeria’s laundry list of complaints has to do more with the military’s desire to cling to power–thereby effecting permanence–rather than admitting the reality of the situation.
After its independence, the Algerian army would continue its blame game, as it became acutely aware that this was a veritable golden ticket to oil and gas money, a classic tale of rags to riches. The military leaders would even ask for France’s apologies and compensation to reinforce the narrative laid down in the Algerian official discourse and in school curricula.
One cannot deny the devastation the unlawful occupation of a free country can cause, especially when imperialist ambitions are coupled with cold-blooded mass murder of indigenous people; however–as we all know–the winner gets to construct its own historical narrative, and after the twists and turns of the liberation war, the Algerian military made a compelling case–fictitious or not–which lives on.
Algerians’ free movement between France and their homeland is another bone of contention. After its independence, Algeria entered into an agreement with France, giving free access to Algerian immigrants willing to settle in the European country. At first sight, one might think the magnanimous gesture was a bid to make up for France’s grim colonial past; however, learned historians tell us that France was building its economy at the time and was in need of cheap labor.
This treaty, dubbed the Évian Accords, is now a thorn in France’s side, as it is a stumbling block to public policies intended to curb or control migrant inflow and terrorist activities. Goaded by its Far Right, France has been attempting to renegotiate the antiquated agreement with Algeria; however, it remains far from a done deal.
France’s underground nuclear testing is an additional minefield for relations with Algeria. France conducted hundreds of tests in the Algerian desert between 1960-1996; that is to say–even after Algeria’s independence–the country was still considered France’s guinea pig. No one can envision the extent of radiation to which nomadic tribes dwelling in the Algerian Sahara (in Ekker and Reggane, in particular) were exposed. French expert from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Jean-Marie Collin, explicitly stated that France carried on its experimentation with highly radioactive weapons, as well as chemical and biological ones until 1976.
The bilateral ties between France and Algeria, though termed amicable by the leaders on both sides, are in actuality oscillating between “not so good” and “bad,” as Algeria is constantly reminding France to shed its colonizer’s coat and embrace reality. The shelved idea of a state visit by Tebboune might hinge on the latter’s running for a second term in office…or not.