French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the suspension of the visa exemption agreement for Algerian officials holding official and diplomatic passports, marking a new escalation in relations with Algeria.
Macron has called on his government to act with “more firmness and determination,” prompted by the fate of writer Boualem Sansal and journalist Christophe Guillaud, who are detained in Algeria.
The decision was outlined in a letter to Prime Minister François Bayrou, which was reviewed by the newspaper Le Figaro. In the letter, Macron emphasized the need for “additional decisions” in dealing with the Algerian authorities, urging an official suspension of the bilateral agreement signed in 2013 that granted visa exemptions for holders of official and diplomatic passports from Algeria.
This measure reflects the escalating diplomatic tension between Paris and Algiers, occurring amid complex human rights and political issues that complicate relations between the two countries.
