Algeria categorically rejects the list of people that France wants to expel
The clash of statements between Paris and Algiers increases after the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues an official communiqué stating that they will not accept the French government's demands and rejecting the list of Algerian citizens residing in France who are under the Obligation to Leave French Territory (OQTF) and whom the French government wants to deport to Algeria, their country of origin.
Last weekend, the French Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, was clear: if France gave in to Algeria's demands, he would resign from his post. Less than 48 hours later, the Algerian authorities have responded to the minister, refusing to receive the list of more than 60 Algerian citizens residing in France, including the perpetrator of the attacks last February in Mulhouse, in the south of the country.
Since France first made its intentions known, it has given Algeria 40 days, or six weeks, to begin the process of deporting Algerian citizens. After the list was rejected, Retailleau promised a ‘progressive response’ and stated on his Twitter account that he ‘regrets that Algeria refuses to apply international law’.
Les forces de l’ordre, sous l’autorité du Préfet de Police et en lien avec le Préfet de la Région Île-de-France, ont mis fin à une situation inacceptable, y compris d’un point de vue humanitaire, au théâtre de la Gaîté Lyrique.
— Bruno Retailleau (@BrunoRetailleau) March 18, 2025
Dès qu’il a été juridiquement possible de le faire,…
‘We categorically reject France's claims’
In the communiqué from the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Secretary General of the Ministry, Lounés Magramane, reaffirmed: ‘Algeria categorically rejects the threats and attempts at intimidation, as well as the court orders, ultimatums and any threatening language. For all these reasons, the Algerian authorities have decided not to act on the list presented by the French authorities’.
According to the official statement from the Ministry, Algeria is rejecting the French claims because they do not conform to the usual procedures, either in form or in substance.
‘Therefore, the French side has been invited to respect the established procedure in this matter, following the usual channel, which is maintained between the French prefectures and the competent Algerian consulates, and preserving the usual form of treatment in this type of case,’ the statement concludes.
#Communiqué pic.twitter.com/0H9aoCMj4J
— وزارة الشؤون الخارجية| MFA-Algeria (@Algeria_MFA) March 17, 2025
Total outrage in France
The issuance of the official statement by Algeria has caused a political and media earthquake in France. From politicians such as the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi; Gérald Larcher, president of the French Senate; and Jordan Bardella, president of the National Assembly, to journalists such as Vincent Hervouët, president of the French Diplomatic Press Association, they have all declared that the Republic should completely annul the 1968 agreements, suspend all development aid and freeze Algerian assets.
Similarly, both pointed out that concern about future mass immigration is palpable among French citizens.
In addition to those mentioned above, Gérald Darmanin, French Minister of Justice, in line with the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, and the Prime Minister, François Bayrou, has called for the withdrawal of the French ambassador from Algiers and the cancellation of Algerian diplomatic passports.
This decision was supported by the Minister of Labour, Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet, who also pointed out that examining the 2007 visa treaty for Algerian workers could mean restricting many work contracts. ‘I think that is part of the gradual response, in fact,’ she added.
End to diplomatic visits
‘This has to stop. There is no reason for France to continue being generous with this country,’ declared the French Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, in favour of the “progressive response” proposal mentioned by Retailleau.
According to figures from the French Observatory of Immigration and Demography, there are more than 650,000 Algerian citizens with a valid residence permit, of which more than 250,000 were granted last year; a figure that is likely to be affected by the decisions to suspend the 1968 agreements between France and Algeria.
A response that would also affect officials and representatives of the Algerian military regime, against whom France will apply sanctions if the rejections of Algerian citizens resident in French territory continue.
Among the arguments put forward by the French nation are the international law treaties by which countries are obliged to accept citizens deported by the governments of other countries. However, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, has insisted that ‘he is in favour of renegotiation rather than denunciation’.
