ANALYSIS - Algeria and France: Is the new rapprochement sustainable?

By Aksil Ouali

ALGIERS, Algeria (AA) - Algeria on Tuesday commemorated the 68th anniversary of the outbreak of its War of Independence, which ended 130 years of French colonial rule.

Unlike in 2021, when diplomatic relations between the two countries had seriously deteriorated, this year’s event took place in a sharply different atmosphere.

The two countries have ushered in a new era, especially since French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Algeria in August.

In signing their “renewed partnership" agreement, the leaders of the two countries showed their willingness to work together and put aside their painful past.

During Macron’s visit, the leaders decided to establish a joint committee of historians tasked with settling their differences and confronting the past.

In doing this, Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune demonstrated their desire to give their new rapprochement a chance.

Yet it remains debatable whether the strategy will pay off, or the new dynamic relationship will last, or if it will simply be short-lived like the previous ones.

In interviews with Anadolu Agency, experts and observers in Algeria and France expressed varying views. While some said they see a short-lived honeymoon between the two countries, others said they think change is here to stay.

Rachid Tlemcani, an Algerian political scientist, said he believes relations between his country and France evolve according to the personalities of the presidents.

“Due to the complicated and complex nature of relations between the two countries, the recent rapprochement, like the previous ones, is not meant to last. Relations between the two countries have always evolved in a rollercoaster ride. The historical dispute is not completely resolved, and will not be any time soon,” Tlemcani told Anadolu Agency.

Tlemcani argued that the colonial memory issue has been used as an “instrument of blackmail” by both parties.

“Access to archives is not entirely free. The two governments decided to set up, during President Macron's visit, a committee made up of ‘in-house historians,’ therefore they will not be independent,” he said, adding that the historical conflict will always complicate the normalization of relations between the two countries.

He added that while a younger generation of the post-colonial period is in charge in France, this is not the case in Algeria, although commercial interests may take precedence over ideological concerns and the colonial past.

- Serious this time?

For his part, Mohamed Hennad, professor of political science at the University of Algiers, thinks the latest commitments between senior officials of the two countries suggest that the change is really serious this time.

“But this does not guarantee that the relationship between the two partners will not always be problematic,” he told Anadolu Agency.

He also argued that despite historical differences, the connection remains between the two societies due to a strong presence of Algerian immigrants in France, including many there illegally.

According to Hennad, the relation between Algeria and France is unique as it goes beyond governments to the people who strengthen it.

“France is the first foreign country visited by Algerians, many of whom hold dual citizenship. Algerians also make up the majority of foreigners in France,” he said.

Hasni Abidi, an Algerian-Swiss political scientist specializing in the Arab world, also said he believes that the new dynamic relationship could last.

In a statement to the French press on the eve of Macron's visit to Algeria, Abidi explained that the French head of state had taken the time to understand the nature of relations between the two countries.

“This first visit (in August) during the second five-year term of Macron is important in French politics and represents a real opportunity, both for France and Algeria. Macron had taken time to review and learn lessons on the limits of his management of the Algerian issue during his first term. His unfortunate statements had sparked deep disagreements between Algiers and Paris,” he said.

Over the past 20 years, bilateral relations between Algeria and France have been lukewarm.

In the early 2000s, then-presidents Jacques Chirac and Abdelaziz Bouteflika, two men who lived through the Algerian war, were about to sign a cooperation deal.

But a law praising the “benefits of colonialism” passed by France’s Parliament in 2004 derailed the initiative.

It took Francois Hollande, who served as president in 2012-2017, to consider a new rapprochement. The crisis resurfaced towards the end of Macron's first term, whose October 2021 remarks on Algeria and the Algerian regime aroused strong anger in Algiers.

The French occupied Algeria for 132 years from 1830, until Algeria gained its independence in 1962 after eight years of war.

* Translated by James Tasamba in Kigali, Rwanda