Gérald Darmanin in Algeria: what is behind this political and diplomatic visit

The French Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, photographed in Marseille, December 16, 2025.

A cross-over on the theme of global warming. While the Algerian Minister of the Interior, Said Sayoud, will travel to Paris in “a few days”the Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin is expected in Algeria this Monday, May 18. An express visit of 24 hours but during which the chancellery promised to address “Many Things”. Officially, for the Keeper of the Seals, it is a question of “renew legal relationships” with Algiers, which are currently judged “No more than three slownesses”.

After the trips of the Minister of the Interior Laurent Nuñez during the winter and of the French Minister for the Armed Forces Alice Rufo at the beginning of May, which made it possible to begin the detente desired by Emmanuel Macron, Gérald Darmanin is undoubtedly the most political minister to move to the other side of the Mediterranean. He also takes with him a large delegation of magistrates, including the national anti-organized crime prosecutor (PNACO), and the national financial prosecutor (PNF).

Objectives of all these little people, to facilitate legal processes between the two countries, and to address subjects that hurt.en amis« even if friends don’t always agree“, assures the Chancellery. A cooperation which, in France, should for example make it possible to strengthen the fight against drug trafficking, terrorism, or even against transnational economic and financial delinquency. It will, among other things, be a question of ill-gotten gains but also of the DZ Mafia.

Gérald Darmanin in AlysÉlysé diplomatic sherpa

Behind these files in line with Place Vendôme, it is nevertheless as a true diplomatic sherpa of President Macron that Gérald Darmanin goes there. To put the fate of Christophe Gleizes at the top of the pile? The file will take up a good part of the trip, we promise.

For the moment, no official meeting is planned on the agenda with the Algerian head of state, but the chancellery praises the “good relations between the minister and President Tebboune.”and «Âthe bond of trust» tied during these five trips to Algeria since he became minister.

A guarantee that the visits of French ministers are bearing fruit, the journalist from So Foot sentenced to seven years in prison for “apologie du terrorisme”was recently able to benefit from a consular visit. Above all, he refused last month to appeal to the Court of Cassation, opening the way to a possible presidential pardon. There is therefore no question of saying too much, at the risk of offending the “sensibilités » diplomatic missions of the highest Algerian authorities and sabotage any concrete progress. The minister just wants to be the “bearer of a message » élyséen.

And a revenge operation against Retailleau

From a purely French point of view, this visit will undoubtedly have the taste of revenge for the former mayor of Tourcoing in the duel which took place against Bruno Retailleau, during their cohabitation within the executive of François Bayrou. For months, the man who was France’s first cop for four years could only watch the reels and other threatening lurches of his successor in the Algerian case. When “Gérald Darmanin Minister of the Interior [lui] never added fuel to the fire“, he is now content “ to do his office », vante son entourage.

The Vendéen already targeted by Emmanuel Macron who castigated in April “the madmen who explain to us that we should get angry with Algeria“, would be wrong not to feel pinned down again. “Everyone saw that in 2025, shouting very loudly against Algeria did not help much“, we complain at Place Vendôme, even arguing that diplomatic distance has condemned operations against the DZ Mafia to failure. While waiting for a possible diplomatic victory for Paris, the northerner intends to enjoy a political victory.