Stéphane Romatet Returns to Algeria After More Than a Year
French Ambassador Stéphane Romatet returned to algeria after more than a year away, reopening direct diplomatic contact between Paris and Algiers. The move does not end the France-Algeria crisis, which remains tied to disputes over the Sahara, migration, and a widening political split.
Romatet’s Return to Algiers
Many in Paris read Romatet’s return as an attempt to stop the deterioration of the relationship rather than as a sign of reconciliation. The Élysée Palace said the aim was to “restore effective dialogue,” a narrower goal that fits the state of the relationship after months of strain.
Romatet had been absent from Algiers for more than a year. That gap followed the recall of France’s ambassador in April 2025 for consultations after a bilateral escalation marked by reciprocal expulsions of consular officials and sharp political disagreements.
France and Algeria Disputes
The rift worsened significantly after France recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara. Algerian media close to the regime later announced that Romatet had been declared persona non grata by the Algerian authorities, adding another layer to the diplomatic break.
France also accused Algeria of blocking the readmission of irregular Algerian migrants and refusing to issue the consular safe-conducts required for deportations. Laurent Nuñez said migration cooperation had been virtually paralysed for much of the crisis, leaving one of the two countries’ most practical areas of contact stalled.
Christophe Gleizes’ arrest in Algeria deepened French concern. Algerian courts sentenced him to seven years in prison for glorifying terrorism, citing contacts he had maintained years earlier with members linked to the Kabyle autonomist movement MAK, which Algeria classified as a terrorist organisation in 2021.
Christophe Gleizes Case
Gleizes had carried out journalistic work related to Kabylia and the JS Kabylie football club. Some of his contacts took place before MAK was classified as a terrorist organisation, a detail that sits inside the wider dispute over how Algeria treats political and journalistic activity linked to Kabylia.
For now, Romatet’s return restores a diplomatic channel that had been shut for more than a year, but it does not settle the core disputes that pushed France and Algeria apart. The test now is whether the two governments turn the renewed contact into practical movement on migration, consular access, and the cases that have hardened positions on both sides.
