France and Algeria agreed on Tuesday to reactivate a dormant high-level security coordination mechanism covering judicial, police and intelligence cooperation, a move officials cast as an early step toward repairing strained bilateral ties.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced the decision after meeting Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Algiers during a two-day visit — the first by a French official of his rank in months.
Nunez told reporters that talks with his Algerian counterpart Said Sayoud and senior security officials produced a formal agreement to relaunch the mechanism, aimed at restoring what he described as “normal security relations.”
The framework will span judicial coordination, police cooperation, intelligence sharing and migration management, including the politically sensitive issue of repatriations — long one of the thorniest files between the two governments.
Nunez said implementation would begin “as soon as possible,” adding that cooperation on security and migration would resume at a “very high level.”
Security coordination has become the main channel for rebuilding dialogue after a brief diplomatic thaw collapsed last April following the detention of an Algerian diplomat in France. Since then, tensions have included reciprocal ambassador withdrawals and mounting disputes over regional policy.
One of the sharpest flashpoints came after France shifted its position in July 2024 to back Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Western Sahara — a move strongly rejected by Algeria.
While Tuesday’s announcement signals renewed engagement, officials stopped short of declaring a full normalisation of relations. Analysts say progress on judicial cooperation, migration disputes and regional diplomacy will likely determine whether the thaw holds.
