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The Algeria-France crisis is escalating as France supports Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, while Algeria backs the Polisario Front.
The tensions grew recently after French Senate President Gérard Larcher and Culture Minister Rachida Dati visited Morocco’s Sahara, followed by a jihadist attack in Mulhouse by an undocumented Algerian migrant whom Algeria refused to take back despite repeated French requests, prompting French PM François Bayrou to threaten visa restrictions in response.
Analysts believe Algerians will suffer the most, facing tighter visa policies and increased deportations. With France considering sanctions on key Algerian figures, many question whether Algeria’s push to provoke European tensions over the Polisario will spark public backlash and threaten the regime’s stability.
Abdelaali Benliyas, a political science professor in Rabat, argues that Algeria’s aggressive diplomacy and impulsive reactions to European support for Morocco’s sovereignty have backfired, directly harming its citizens.
He sees visa restrictions and deportations as proof of Algeria’s failure to anticipate Western reactions to its pressure tactics.
Benliyas adds that Algerians are starting to question their government’s ability to protect their interests abroad.
The country’s unwavering support for the Polisario, he warns, is coming at a high cost, depriving North Africa of major opportunities for economic growth, social progress, cooperation, and political coordination in facing regional security challenges.
According to Benliyas, these tensions will eventually push the Algerian public to demand an end to this abnormal state of affairs in relations with its neighbors and European partners.
Mohamed Amrani Boukhobza, a political science professor at Abdelmalek Essaadi University, echoes this sentiment, pointing out that Algeria’s repeated diplomatic missteps in dealing with countries that back Morocco’s sovereignty have severely damaged its foreign policy standing.
Algeria has lost the support of numerous African nations that have opened consulates in Morocco’s southern provinces, said Boukhobza. Its strategy of severing ties and recalling ambassadors—used against both Spain and France—has only resulted in catastrophic diplomatic setbacks.
The expert argues that Algeria’s failure to grasp international realities leads it to make rash decisions that are widely ridiculed by diplomatic experts. These blunders force the country into attempts to repair its damaged relations, as seen in its dealings with Spain and its escalating row with France, revealing a strategic confusion that could cost its longtime allies.
France’s visa restrictions will affect Algerians from all backgrounds, given the strong social ties between the two countries, he said, adding that this could spark public anger, as citizens question why their government prioritizes the Polisario at their expense.
Boukhobza warns that “Algeria may eventually have to bow down to restore its ties with its neighbors,” emphasizing that diplomatic isolation however cannot be reversed with money alone.
A major shift in foreign policy may be necessary, he added—”one that could be forced by mounting public pressure against the government’s insistence on dragging the country into a conflict that serves no direct benefit to its people.”
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