France and Algeria stand at the brink of diplomatic rupture amidst brewing tensions in the Sahel.
Both countries have expelled twelve diplomatic staff each, plunging bilateral communications to their lowest point since Algerian independence in 1962.
The crisis erupted after French authorities arrested an Algerian consular official in connection with the alleged kidnapping of opposition blogger Amir Boukhors, known as “Amir DZ.” France also recalled its ambassador from Algiers for consultation.
Algerian officials view the arrest as a deliberate attempt to undermine recent efforts at reconciliation.
"This unprecedented judicial incident has not come about by chance," Algeria's state news agency declared.
Russian Comments Pour Oil on Sahel Fire
As France and Algeria wrangle, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has waded into regional frictions. Lavrov made pointed remarks about colonial legacies.
Lavrov blamed many of Africa’s current conflicts on arbitrary borders drawn by departing colonial powers.
"Colonial authorities drew maps with a ruler throughout the continent," Lavrov told Kommersant.
Lavrov specifically cited the Tuareg people, now split between Algeria and Mali, as victims of this colonial map-making.
His comments arrived amid a separate but related diplomatic meltdown between Algeria and Mali.
Both countries have shut their airspace to each other’s aircraft after Algeria’s air defence forces destroyed a Malian military drone.
Mali-Algeria Crisis Opens Door for France
The timing of the Algeria-Mali dispute offers a strange twist of fate for France.
Just as Paris and Algiers traded diplomatic blows, France had been making headway in repairing its strained communications with Algeria.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot visited Algiers on 6 April, meeting with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Their talks yielded promises to restart cooperation on security, migration and economic matters.
Mali’s military government has built its legitimacy partly by cutting communications with France.
Algeria’s rapprochement with Paris likely sticks in the craw of Bamako’s leadership.
Behind the Mali-Algeria Border Dispute
The conflict between Algeria and Mali runs deep.
Bamako accuses Algiers of sponsoring terrorism, while Algeria rejects these claims outright.
Mali’s military junta has rolled back the 2015 Algiers Peace Agreement that gave autonomy to northern regions. The backpedal undermined Algeria’s standing as a regional diplomatic player.
Burkina Faso and Niger, Mali’s partners in the Alliance of Sahel States, have recalled their ambassadors from Algeria in solidarity.
Algeria responded by pulling its own diplomats from Mali and Niger.
French Political Dynamics Stoke Crisis
French domestic politics have added tinder to the diplomatic fire.
Algerian officials blame Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, a right-wing conservative with presidential ambitions, for undermining President Macron’s more even-handed policy.
Several of the French officials ordered out by Algeria worked under Retailleau’s interior ministry. Algiers believes that hardliners in Paris are sabotaging efforts at reconciliation.
"We cannot help but be surprised by the cynical choice made by those burying normalisation of bilateral communications," the Algerian foreign ministry stated.
Internal Algerian Politics Muddle Matters
The crisis also exposes fractures within Algeria’s own political system. Each time communications with France begin to thaw, a new incident occurs to heat things up again.
This flip-flop raises questions about who truly directs Algerian foreign policy. President Tebboune has shown mixed signals, making conciliatory statements before reverting to confrontational rhetoric.
Two competing visions appear to exist within the Algerian government: one favouring pragmatic diplomacy and another rooted in ideological opposition to France.
Russia’s Growing Sahel Presence
Russia has steadily augmented its presence in the Sahel region.
Mali, along with Burkina Faso and Niger, has turned away from Western partnerships toward Moscow.
Lavrov’s comments about colonial borders resonate among Sahel countries nursing historical grievances against France.
By positioning Russia as a defender against colonial legacies, Moscow curries favour with anti-Western governments.
The French military has fully withdrawn from the Sahel, with its last base in Chad handed over in January.
The vacuum creates space for new alliances and power brokers in the region.
Algeria’s Pragmatic Options Forward
Algeria now performs a delicate high-wire act.
Algiers must juggle improving communications with France while managing deteriorating communications with key Sahel neighbours who enjoy the support of Russia, its traditional partner.
The situation demands diplomatic nimbleness. Algeria could chart its own course, maintaining channels with both France and Russia rather than falling into either camp.
For France, the crisis offers a bitter pill to swallow. President Macron, described as the most pro-Algeria president in French history, now oversees one of the worst diplomatic crises between the countries.
Trade discussions, energy cooperation, and cultural exchanges are on tenterhooks. French businesses may think twice about Algerian investments given the lack of institutional stability.
Yet beneath the sound and fury, practical interests remain. Both countries have too much at stake to let communication fizzle indefinitely.
The pressure cooker of frictions will eventually need a release valve.
Algeria may well find that playing both sides – engaging with France while maintaining cordial communications with Russia-aligned Sahel states – serves its interests best.
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