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Algeria Summons French Diplomat Over France 2 Probe It Calls an 'Aggression'

The protest underscores a rift deepened by Paris’s 2024 tilt toward Morocco on Western Sahara.

Overview

  • Algeria’s foreign ministry summoned French chargé d’affaires Gilles Bourbao on January 24 to protest a January 22 Complément d’enquête episode on France 2.
  • In a public communiqué, Algiers condemned the broadcast as a “tissue of falsehoods” and “a genuine aggression,” and implied complicity by French public overseers.
  • Hours before the airing, state agency APS denounced the programme as a methodical disinformation effort and accused French public media of abandoning journalistic standards.
  • The investigation reported alleged Algerian intelligence activity in France, citing a counter‑espionage note on pressure targeting officials of Algerian origin and the April 2024 abduction of Amir DZ, for which French justice issued an international arrest warrant against a former Algerian diplomat.
  • The episode featured ambassador Stéphane Romatet speaking from Paris, reflecting ties strained since France backed Morocco’s Western Sahara autonomy plan and a continued freeze in high‑level dialogue.