French Ambassador Stéphane Romatet returns to Algiers over a year after recall to Paris
via Algérie3602 min read
French Ambassador to Algeria, Stéphane Romatet, returned to Algiers on Friday, May 8, over a year after being recalled to Paris. His return coincides with a visit from Alice Rufo, Minister Delegate for the Armed Forces and Veterans, sent by Emmanuel Macron, signaling a desire to move past a deep diplomatic crisis. Romatet was recalled to Paris on April 15, 2025, following Algeria's expulsion of twelve French embassy and consulate agents in response to the arrest of an Algerian consular agent in France. The Elysée stated that Romatet's return reflects President Macron's intention to "restore effective dialogue" and address the bilateral relationship "with honesty." The choice of May 8 is significant as Algeria commemorates the 1945 massacres of Sétif, Guelma, and Kherrata on this date, where the repression of independence demonstrations by French colonial forces resulted in 45,000 deaths. Alice Rufo, close to President Macron, visited Sétif for these commemorations and will meet with Algerian authorities to discuss "the next steps in consolidating bilateral relations." The crisis between the two countries began in July 2024 after Paris recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, leading Algeria to recall its ambassador from France, a position that remains vacant. Macron reportedly "does not want to leave on a failure with Algeria" before his term ends in 2027. Among the issues awaiting Romatet in Algiers is the case of Christophe Gleizes, a French journalist sentenced
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Mabrouk Atbi, Naftal's Director of Oils and Tires, stated that Algeria's tire market requires approximately 6.5 million units annually. Over 500,000 imported tires have been dispatched to meet demand, with 382,000 received in the last three and a half months and nearly 340,000 already sold. Local production significantly contributes, with an Algerian producer manufacturing an estimated 3.8 million tires per year. Djamel Cherdoud, Naftal's CEO, announced the upcoming launch of a digital platform for customer tire requests. This initiative aims to streamline tire acquisition, making it fluid, organized, and transparent, while combating market speculation. Cherdoud explained this platform is a strategic step in modernizing services, improving demand tracking, and addressing citizen concerns, aligning with Naftal's digitization strategy to build consumer trust and ensure transparency in tire distribution. Naftal is mobilizing resources to meet national market needs, implementing a supply plan for "Premium" category tires that combine quality with competitive pricing to enhance road safety. The company has partnered with Germany's Continental and Italy's Prometeon, leading to tire price reductions of up to 55% compared to speculator prices. Mustapha Zebdi, President of the Algerian Organization for Consumer Protection and Environment, commended Naftal's reliability and emphasized the need for better communication on tire supply and distribution to ensure availability and quality f
The National Gendarmerie in Algeria has dismantled a criminal organization that used new vehicle imports as a front to launder millions of dollars, uncovering a sophisticated capital flight mechanism. This operation follows public denouncements by President Tebboune regarding such practices. The network operated by deliberately undervaluing export invoices, declaring less than what was actually received, and retaining the difference abroad instead of repatriating it to Algeria as required by law. This resulted in a loss of nearly $4 million in export revenues for the country. To recycle these funds, the network used new car imports from abroad, a sector with sufficient financial volume to integrate illicit flows into seemingly legitimate transactions. The investigation, conducted by specialists in economic and financial crime, led to the arrest of 15 suspects, with 4 individuals still at large. Authorities also seized 5 vehicles and 5 industrial machines. The timing of this operation is significant, as President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had recently addressed these practices, specifically targeting exporters who intentionally undervalue goods to divert foreign currency from official channels. The President had also stated that Algeria, having curbed import over-invoicing, would address export under-invoicing with similar resolve to protect the national economy. The dismantling of this network represents an initial operational response to this commitment.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has issued presidential decrees terminating the functions of two advisors and one attaché at the Presidency of the Republic. The decrees, published in Official Journal No. 33 on May 6, 2026, announce the departure of Farid Yaïci, who served as advisor to the President of the Republic for finance, banking, budget, foreign exchange reserves, public procurement, and international payments. Mohamed Hammouche, advisor for legal and judicial affairs to the President of the Republic, also had his functions terminated. Additionally, Souad Ould Diaf, who held the position of attaché at the Presidency, was relieved of her duties. The decrees, dated April 29 and May 2, 2026, do not provide further details on the reasons for these terminations or potential replacements.
Must ReadDuring a three-day official visit to Turkey, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan co-chaired a signing ceremony for several strategic agreements and memorandums of understanding. These agreements aim to strengthen bilateral cooperation across various sectors. In media, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Algerian Radio and Turkish public television for expertise and content exchange. Economically, a memorandum of understanding was concluded between the Algerian Investment Promotion Agency and its Turkish counterpart to boost investment flows. The trade ministries also signed a joint declaration to begin negotiations for a preferential trade agreement. Cooperation extends to communication, with an agreement to combat media disinformation, and to agriculture, with an agreement on plant protection and agricultural quarantine. The industrial sector saw two memorandums of understanding on standardization, conformity assessment, training, and the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. Additional agreements cover disaster and emergency management, mutual recognition of driving licenses, and international road transport of passengers and goods. Cooperation also includes postal services and telecommunications, as well as an agreement concerning veterans and the rights of martyrs' beneficiaries. The visit culminated in the two heads of state signing a joint declaration marking the first meeting of the High-Level Str