Summary:

On 6 February 2023, Algerian activist Amira Bouraoui was granted permission to depart Tunis for Paris under the protection of the French diplomatic corps. Bouraoui is an outspoken critic of the Algerian government who was attempting to travel to France on her French passport despite being ordered not to depart Algeria. She had been detained in Tunisia on 3 February as she attempted to leave Tunis for France, but was put under the protection of the French Embassy, which facilitated her eventual departure.

The event appears to be a setback to otherwise warming relations between Algeria and France. Critics of President Kais Saied expressed frustration at his bowing to pressure from France and betraying neighboring Algeria. Tunisia’s new Foreign Minister, Nabil Ammar, who replaced the recently dismissed Othman Jerandi, hosted the Algerian Ambassador to Tunisian on 10 February in a likely attempt to shore up relations. However, over the weekend reports indicated that Algeria held up hundreds of Tunisian cars at land borders in an attempt to express dissatisfaction with Tunisia’s role in the events surround Bouraoui.

Outlook:  

Tunisia’s role in the diplomatic spat between Algeria and France was relatively minor, though it may prove to sour otherwise warming relations with Algiers. Tunis has sought improved relations with both Algiers and Paris recently and this event is unlikely to significantly disrupt this effort with either. Particularly as the economic situation in Tunisia worsens, the government must take an increasingly pragmatic approach with external partners. France and Algeria have both offered financial support in recent months, inevitably making them voices to which Tunis must listen and eventually respond. Recent events mark the rare occasion when the interest of these two partners were directly at odds.

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