France’s OQTF row with Algeria turns political again

As tensions over migration continue to shape political debates in France, Algeria says it is being unfairly blamed in the growing controversy surrounding “Obligations to Leave French Territory” (OQTFs).

In a sharply worded editorial published Tuesday, Le Soir d’Algérie accused parts of the French political class of turning the issue into an electoral slogan aimed at targeting Algeria ahead of key political deadlines.

The newspaper argued that while French officials repeatedly accuse Algiers of refusing to cooperate on consular travel permits, the numbers tell another story. According to the report, Algeria recently issued 179 consular laissez-passer documents, but only 90 were actually used by French authorities.

The editorial also defended Algeria’s verification procedures, stressing that confirming a migrant’s nationality requires legal checks and administrative delays, not political obstruction. It accused some French politicians, including former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, of exploiting the migration issue to fuel anti-Algerian rhetoric during a sensitive pre-election period.

Meanwhile, the paper highlighted what it described as a “concrete humanitarian approach” launched by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune earlier this year. The initiative reportedly helped 320 undocumented Algerian youths voluntarily return home and regularize their situation.

For Algerian observers, the OQTF debate has become more than a migration issue it is now a symbol of the growing political friction between Algeria and France.