According to well-informed sources, the Algerian regime has reportedly initiated a series of indirect but sustained contacts with Ferhat Mehenni, leader of the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylia (MAK), who is currently exiled in France. The objective of these discussions is to lay the groundwork for an autonomy status for the Kabylia region within the framework of Algerian national sovereignty.
Long considered persona non grata by the Algerian authorities, Ferhat Mehenni now appears to be seeing a shift in his position. Sources close to the Ministry of Defense and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune say that unofficial intermediaries have been tasked in recent months with establishing contact with him in an attempt to find a peaceful resolution to the Kabyle question.
Founder of the MAK in 2001, Mehenni has consistently portrayed himself as a peaceful advocate for the self-determination of Kabylia. Exiled in France for over two decades, he leads the Provisional Government of Kabylia (GPK), whose activities were banned and labeled a “terrorist organization” by Algiers in 2021. But according to a European diplomat involved in the discussions, “The stance in Algiers is shifting. The regime is seeking a political solution, and that path goes through Ferhat Mehenni—whether people like it or not.”
According to the same sources, the talks are centered around the creation of a specific institutional framework for Kabylia: a regional parliament, autonomous governance, the official use of the Amazigh language as the primary language, and local management of economic affairs, particularly in relation to forestry, handicrafts, and tourism.
For his part, Ferhat Mehenni has reportedly set several conditions for entering into any serious negotiation: the lifting of the ban on the MAK, the release of Kabyle political prisoners, official recognition of the plural Amazigh identity, and, crucially, neutral international mediation to oversee the process.
“Kabylia has never stopped wanting to live freely, but it is ready to engage in dialogue if Algeria is willing to turn the page on denial and repression,” Mehenni is said to have declared during a recent meeting with representatives of the Kabyle diaspora in Geneva.
These developments come amid growing political fragility in Algiers. Faced with economic, social, and diplomatic challenges, the central government is seeking to ease internal tensions. Some voices within the regime are now acknowledging the failure of a purely security-based strategy in response to Kabyle demands.
A former minister confided that Ferhat Mehenni was demonized for years. But in the face of ongoing stagnation, some at the top of the state now understand that dialogue is better than reckless escalation.
Reactions to these reported talks remain mixed. While part of civil society welcomes this attempt to resolve the crisis, certain political and military elites view any recognition of the MAK or its leader with deep suspicion.
Ferhat Mehenni, long marginalized, could thus reemerge as a central figure in the national debate. The question of Kabyle autonomy, once taboo, now appears to be at the heart of political dynamics in Algeria.