French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Algeria ended on Saturday. It was not an easy journey, Macron had to smooth things over, and in recent months there have been some diplomatic upsets between France and its former colony. Isabelle Werenfels, Maghreb specialist at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, assesses Macron’s visit to Algeria and its impact on the relationship between the two countries.
SRF News: How is Macron perceived in Algeria?
Isabelle Werenfels: Overall, Macron is viewed very skeptically. That was different in the 2017 election campaign. At the time he said colonialism was a crime against humanity. That earned him a lot of sympathy. But then came his dealings with Muslims. His comments on Islam in France have already made many skeptical. And last year, when he said that Algeria was not a nation before colonialism, he really alienated all of Algeria.
On social media in Algeria, one can also see that political activists, who are more oppositional, criticize Macron for not commenting on political prisoners and restrictions on freedom of expression.
Legend:
French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at the Presidential Palace in Algiers August 25, 2022.
Reuters/Handout Algerian Presidency
What is expected of France in Algeria?
The population is about visas, about mobility. Macron made a statement there, albeit very vaguely. Visas were restricted last year and the Algerians naturally want the quotas to be increased again. Then the population is also interested in reparations for the crimes of colonialism. Very important: There were nuclear tests between 1960 and 1966, the population would like to know more about them in order to be able to promote decontamination.
It is very important to the government that France does not switch to the Moroccan position in the Western Sahara conflict, as did Spain. The Moroccan king said last week that anyone who wants to cooperate closely with Morocco must approach the Moroccan position. And Algeria wants to counteract this.
The Italian President was in Algeria last year. So he forestalled Macron.
What role does Algerian natural gas play in President Macron’s current overtures?
Natural gas certainly plays a huge role at the moment. But there is no direct pipeline to France. There was a meeting between the energy minister and French companies. However, it is unclear how much more gas Algeria can supply. The infrastructure is ailing, so it’s more interesting in the medium term. And most importantly, Algeria has signed deals with Italy in recent months. The Italian President was in Algeria last year. So he forestalled Macron. This is a thorn in the side of the French. And in terms of security and geopolitics, France does not want to lose Algeria to Russia. Because Algeria is a very close partner of Russia in the field of security.
Macron said yes, he wanted to look ahead and shape the future. Does Algeria want that too?
Above all, the government and the older generations want an apology for the crimes of colonialism. And even the elites have no interest in really shelving the past, because they still use the revolution to legitimize themselves. Macron probably tried to appeal to younger people. And they will listen too. So the whole thing is a big balancing act for Macron: at the same time encouraging the younger generation to break away from the past and not alienating the older generation.
In the end, it’s about the French aggressively discussing the crimes they have committed in their society and apologizing for them.
The story is now to be dealt with by a commission of historians. How important is that?
It is extremely important that the archives are opened. The only question is: Are security-relevant documents, for example about the nuclear tests, made accessible? Many historians also say that there is actually enough knowledge. In the end, it’s about the French aggressively discussing the crimes they have committed in their society and apologizing for them. And that’s incredibly difficult for Macron, because the group of Algerian veterans is very strong and otherwise slides to the right. He wants to keep them in line.
The conversation was conducted by Simone Hulliger.