France has reinstated its ambassador to Algeria, Stephane Romatet, in Algiers after having recalled him in April 2025 amid a diplomatic crisis between the two nations, Le Figaro newspaper reported on Friday, citing the Elysee Palace.
Romatet was recalled to Paris after Algerian authorities expelled 12 French diplomats in April 2025, declaring them persona non grata and ordering them to leave the country within 48 hours.
Now, after more than a year’s pause, the ambassador returned to the country as part of the delicate process of normalizing relations between Algiers and Paris, the report said .
Romatet is reportedly accompanied by French Armed Forces Minister Delegate Alice Rufo. During her stay in the country, Rufo is scheduled to visit the northwestern city of Setif to honor the memory of victims of the 1945 crackdown on Algeria’s independence uprising that claimed about 45,000 lives, Le Figaro reported, citing Algerian sources and US archives.
A Paris source told the newspaper that Rufo’s visit on May 8 was sending a “very strong symbolic signal,” given that due to her trip she would not be able to attend the traditional Victory Day celebrations in the capital.
The relations between France and Algeria soured after Paris recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in 2024 despite Algeria’s demands for a self-determination referendum. Tensions worsened when Algerian authorities detained dual French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal. Sansal remained in custody until November 2025, when he was pardoned by the Algerian president and returned to France. Additionally, in late December 2025, the Algerian parliament passed a bill criminalizing France’s colonial policies in the 19th and 20th centuries.
France was a major colonial power for several centuries. Algeria was under French occupation for more than 130 years before gaining independence in 1962 after the Algerian War of Independence.