Former French presidential candidate and current head of the "France-Algeria Association," Ségolène Royal, has emphatically called for a reset in Algerian-French relations, urging France to abandon preconditions for high-level visits and issue a formal apology for its colonial past. Her statements follow her recent visit to Algeria, aimed at revitalizing dialogue between the two nations after nearly two years of strained relations.
Algeria France diplomatic relations
Speaking to "Bourrée FM" radio, Royal disclosed details of her post-Algeria meeting with French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. "Upon my return from Algeria, I met with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez at his request," Royal stated, "I spent an hour with him, explaining the situation and, indeed, urging him to visit Algeria without setting preconditions." She advised him to cease imposing conditions for such a visit.
Nuñez had previously hinted at conditions for his visit, including the release of French sports journalist Christophe Galtier (sentenced for terrorism-related charges) and the resumption of repatriations for undocumented Algerians in France. These demands led to Algeria largely disregarding the proposed visit, which originated from Paris. During her Algerian visit, Royal herself warned Paris against squandering the opportunity to revive bilateral ties, stressing that "the Interior Minister must go there, to Algeria, where he has been awaited for some time, without setting preconditions, because all interior ministers in France hide behind that."
Elaborating on her encounter with Nuñez, Royal questioned, "If you need Algeria to revive partnership relations, you must go. If you want to set preconditions, there's no need to go. Does France accept conditions being imposed before its visits?" She further revealed her meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in early January, where he reportedly told her that Nuñez was welcome "on the condition that he does not speak of preconditions. I find this a natural statement for a sovereign nation."
Royal, a former Socialist Party leader, also accused ex-Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and the French far-right of "racism" when discussing Algerians and North Africans. She highlighted their positive role in building France, stating, "When they want to target Algeria, they limit their discourse to a few delinquents, while ignoring their positive role in building France." During her visit to Algeria, Royal observed significant advancements, touring Artificial Intelligence schools, factories, companies, and "places of success." She emphasized that Algerians are not merely the subjects of negative narratives but also include "6,000 doctors working in French hospitals, and many others in various specialties."
Critically, Royal accused French President Emmanuel Macron of failing to deliver on his key promise regarding the memory file, made during his first presidential campaign in 2017. "President Macron, during his 2017 campaign for his first term, described colonialism as a crime against humanity and spoke of decolonization, and of returning cultural properties seized by France from former colonies," Royal recounted, asserting, "France must ask Algeria for forgiveness." She firmly denied that Macron had offered even "half an apology."
Royal questioned the progress since Macron's initial statements, "After nearly ten years, where are we now with those statements? He has returned to repeat the same discourse." She characterized this stance as "a failure of commitment or a shortcoming in acknowledging appreciation, and a disregard for the African other, indeed, it is neo-colonial behavior." Royal concluded that this "blindness and delusion" has contributed to France's expulsion from numerous Francophone African nations, evidenced by the recent French-African summit being held in Anglophone Kenya, rather than a Francophone country, due to leaders of former French colonies refusing to convene under French tutelage.
Related topics: Algeria France relations, Ségolène Royal, diplomatic dialogue, French foreign policy, colonial apology, Algeria
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