Overview

• French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune held a phone call on March 31, agreeing to relaunch bilateral relations after months of tension.
• The two leaders pledged to immediately resume cooperation on migration and security, focusing on combating terrorism and human trafficking.
• Macron called for clemency for Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, recently sentenced to five years in prison in Algeria, citing his age and health.
• French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot will visit Algeria on April 6 to further discussions and strengthen diplomatic ties.
• The crisis, rooted in disputes over Western Sahara, migration policies, and Sansal's detention, reached its peak after a February attack in Mulhouse linked to an Algerian national.