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Rabat – The ongoing tensions between Algiers and Paris have yet again reached a boiling point, as French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau renewed accusations against Algeria and its involvement in violations of international law.
On Tuesday, Retailleau appeared in a new interview with TF1, accusing Algeria of not respecting the law.
He referenced Algeria’s recent decision to refuse entry to an influencer who was expelled by France earlier this year.
“If the Algerian did not have an identity card or biometric passport, I would understand the need for a consular pass,” the interior minister said, noting that the documents recognize that he is an Algerian.
“So, Algeria is violating the law. I have asked my services to explore how we could sanction the national airline Air Algerie,” he added, noting that France is looking into “all possible retaliatory measures.”
Retailleau has made similar recent accusations against Algeria amid deteriorating diplomatic tensions between Paris and Algiers.
In January, he accused Algeria of attempting to “humiliate France” after the North African country refused to receive the expelled Algerian social media influencer.
“France cannot tolerate this situation…We must now evaluate all means at our disposal regarding Algeria,” he added.
In another development today, Algeria’s regime criticized France’s Minister Rachida Dati for her visit to Morocco’s southern provinces, further adding to the tension between the two countries.
Dati made a historic visit to Morocco’s Laayoune, conveying her country’s steadfast support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
France announced its support for Morocco’s Sahara cause in July of last year, with the decision strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries at all levels.
Dati’s visit is the first of its kind for a French minister since the recognition decision.
“The visit of the French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, to the Moroccan Sahara is of gravity and is condemnable on multiple grounds,” the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
For the Algerian ministry, the visit “reflects a blatant contempt for international legality by a permanent member of the UN Security Council.”
The decision is a replica of the same position taken by Algeria’s regime when France first announced its newfound Sahara position.
Following France’s decision regarding Western Sahara, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf announced that his country would take further measures against the European country.
“This is not a recall of the ambassador for consultation. It is a reduction in diplomatic representation. It is a significant step to express our condemnation and disapproval,” Attaf said at a press conference in August of last year.
The statement is similar to the press release Algeria released after Spain endorsed Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the most serious political solution to end the dispute over Western Sahara in March of 2022.
