After the diplomatic break with Morocco and the spectacular deterioration of relations with the United Arab Emirates, could Algeria open a new confrontation with France?
In Algiers, grievances against Paris are numerous: the presence of Algerian opponents on French territory, the activities of media figures such as Hicham Aboud, Emir DZ and Abdou Semmar, the presence of MAK activists, and France’s refusal to adopt the political and security classifications put forward by the Algerian authorities.
Relations between Algiers and Paris are entering another period of turbulence. Diplomatic tensions have been compounded by increasingly virulent criticism of France and everyday life in France from several Algerian state-owned television channels.
The issue of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia (MAK) is among the main points of contention. Designated as a terrorist organization by the Algerian authorities in 2021, the movement advocates self-determination for Kabylia. Its leaders and activists have support networks abroad, particularly in France, where several figures associated with the separatist movement led by President Ferhat Mehenni are based.
For Algiers, this situation is difficult to accept. Algerian authorities regularly accuse France of allowing individuals whom they regard as threats to national security to express themselves or organize activities on French territory.
The MAK issue took on an even more sensitive dimension following the devastating wildfires that hit Kabylia, leaving hundreds dead and injured. Algerian authorities accused networks linked to the movement of being involved in acts of sabotage and destabilization.
These accusations were accompanied by increased repression against people suspected of belonging to the movement or supporting it. However, according to several witnesses, the fires were the work of Algerian military intelligence services.
For Paris, the presence of foreign opponents on French territory falls within the French and European frameworks governing freedom of expression, the right to asylum and the protection of civil liberties, within the limits established by law.
The confrontation revolves around a fundamental question: where does freedom of expression and human rights end, and where does what Algiers considers interference or hostile action against a sovereign state begin?
This issue is also reflected in relations between Algeria, France, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Israel, with Algiers accusing these countries of supporting actors or networks that it considers hostile to its interests.
For Western analysts, the multiplication of Algeria’s crises portrays the Algerian military regime led by General Saïd Chengriha and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune as pursuing an unusual and increasingly confrontational foreign policy.