French President Emmanuel Macron has appealed to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to grant “mercy and humanity” to jailed French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, the Élysée Palace announced on Monday.
Macron requested what the Élysée described as a “long, frank and friendly” phone conversation, which also addressed recent diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
Sansal, 80, was sentenced last Thursday to five years in prison after an interview he gave to a French far-right media outlet was deemed to have undermined Algeria’s territorial integrity. The author, who has cancer, has long been a critic of both the Algerian government and Islamist movements.
Macron has repeatedly called for his release on humanitarian grounds, with the latest appeal urging Tebboune to show clemency.
Sansal’s conviction has further strained already fragile Franco-Algerian ties. Relations have been tense due to disputes over migration, as well as Macron’s recognition last year of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara— a move that angered Algeria, which backs the pro-independence Polisario Front.
In Monday’s call, both leaders signaled a willingness to improve relations, agreeing to resume security cooperation and facilitate “fluid” migration between the two countries. The discussion comes after Algeria recently refused to accept the return of undocumented Algerian migrants from France.
Additionally, a joint panel of historians tasked with reviewing colonial-era disputes is set to resume its work. The two leaders also agreed “in principle” to hold an in-person meeting in the future.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot will travel to Algiers on Sunday to discuss further steps toward repairing diplomatic ties, according to the Élysée.
Tebboune, who last week described Macron as the “only point of reference” for improving relations, now faces a key decision over whether to heed the French leader’s plea for clemency.
