Crystal Dike
French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal, who had been jailed in Algeria for almost a year, was released on Wednesday, November 12, following German mediation that ended a bitter diplomatic standoff between Algeria and France. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune granted Sansal a pardon nearly a year to the day after his arrest at Algiers airport, allowing him to leave the country for medical treatment.
Sansal, 81, was sentenced to five years in prison in July for undermining national unity after making remarks that questioned Algeria’s borders. His release came after German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier made a direct appeal to Tebboune, citing Sansal’s advanced age and fragile health. The writer arrived in Germany on Wednesday evening aboard a military aircraft and was taken to hospital for treatment of prostate cancer.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke to Boualem Sansal by phone, expressed gratitude to the Algerian leader, describing the decision as “an act of humanity.” Macron added that France had worked “with respect and calm” to secure Sansal’s freedom after months of diplomatic tension.
While France had repeatedly appealed for clemency, it was the German president’s intervention that ultimately secured Boualem Sansal’s release. “Given his age and condition, I asked President Tebboune to grant him pardon so he could receive treatment in Germany,” Steinmeier said earlier this week. Tebboune confirmed that he had responded favourably to the request “because of its humanitarian motives.”
French Ambassador Stéphane Romatet, who had been recalled from Algiers earlier this year amid the dispute, told French radio on Thursday that “a trusted third party was always going to be key, and the German solution quickly came forward.”
Sansal’s case had become a symbol of the deteriorating relations between Paris and Algiers, which worsened after France recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, angering Algeria — a major backer of the Polisario Front. The diplomatic rift deepened in April, when Algeria condemned the arrest of one of its consular staff in France over an alleged kidnapping of a government critic in Paris.
The crisis was described by diplomats as the most severe breakdown in relations since Algeria gained independence from France in 1962. Some in Paris blamed the situation on former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who was accused of adopting a confrontational stance toward Algiers. His replacement by Laurent Nuñez was seen as an attempt to reset ties. “He has completely changed the way relations with Algeria are handled,” said former diplomat Jean-Christophe Ruffin.
Retailleau welcomed the decision, saying he felt “immense relief and great joy” at Boualem Sansal’s release.
Despite the breakthrough, tensions persist. French journalist Christophe Gleizes remains imprisoned in Algeria after receiving a seven-year sentence in July for allegedly trying to interview a member of a banned group.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot praised diplomatic efforts that led to Boualem Sansal’s release and said France remains focused on securing Gleizes’s freedom, expressing hope for “another imminent act of humanity.”