France seeks renewed judicial cooperation with Algeria amid easing tensions
French ministers intensify diplomatic outreach to Algeria as both countries move to restore security and judicial coordination after years of strained relations
ALGIERS, Algeria (MNTV) — France’s Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin visited Algeria for talks aimed at reviving judicial and security cooperation between the two countries, as Paris and Algiers continue efforts to repair relations damaged by diplomatic disputes in recent years.
According to RFI, Darmanin met Algerian Justice Minister Lotfi Boudjemaa in Algiers to discuss closer coordination on organized crime, extradition requests and broader legal cooperation, according to French officials.
France’s Justice Ministry said the visit was intended to “open a new chapter” in bilateral judicial relations after cooperation between the two countries slowed significantly amid political tensions.
French officials said discussions focused heavily on transnational criminal networks, particularly the Marseille-based “DZ Mafia” drug trafficking groups, whose alleged leaders French authorities claim have taken refuge in Algeria.
French judicial authorities have reportedly submitted around 10 requests for mutual legal assistance linked to suspected members of the network.
The visit came as a major criminal trial involving alleged members of the rival “Yoda” gang opened in Marseille. The group’s leader, Félix Bingui, known as “Le Chat,” was extradited from Morocco earlier this year and faces charges including drug trafficking, money laundering and criminal conspiracy.
Darmanin’s trip marks the third visit by a senior French minister to Algeria in recent months, signaling a broader thaw in relations after a period of diplomatic friction.
Relations deteriorated sharply in 2024 after France backed a Moroccan autonomy proposal for the disputed Western Sahara region, prompting Algeria to recall its ambassador from Paris.
Tensions later deepened following the arrest of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, though Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune later granted him a presidential pardon in 2025.
French officials also raised the case of French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes, who remains imprisoned in Algeria after being sentenced to seven years on charges of “glorifying terrorism.”
Gleizes was arrested in 2024 while reporting on the Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie football club and researching the death of Cameroonian footballer Albert Ebossé Bodjongo.
Campaigners for his release recently announced that Gleizes had withdrawn his appeal, a move viewed as potentially paving the way for a presidential pardon.
French authorities described the journalist’s case as one of several “sensitive individual issues” discussed during the meetings in Algiers.
The latest diplomatic engagement follows earlier talks between Algerian President Tebboune and French Armed Forces Minister Alice Rufo on expanding defense and security cooperation.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez also visited Algeria in February as part of renewed efforts to restore bilateral coordination.
Nunez said this week that Algeria’s Interior Minister Saïd Sayoud is expected to travel to Paris soon, describing the move as a “positive sign” that security cooperation between the two countries is gradually being rebuilt.
Analysts say the renewed diplomatic contacts reflect growing recognition in both Paris and Algiers of the importance of cooperation on migration, organized crime, regional security and economic ties affecting millions of people on both sides of the Mediterranean.
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