Renowned writer Boualem Sansal has not heard from his loved ones for almost a week. He was reportedly arrested upon his arrival in Algeria. Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that he was “very concerned” by this disappearance. “State services are mobilized to clarify the situation”, indicated the entourage of the Head of State, adding that “the President of the Republic expresses his unwavering attachment to the freedom of a great writer and intellectual” .
Who is Boualem Sansal?
Boualem Sansal is a Franco-Algerian novelist and essayist. Aged 75, he was naturalized French in 2024. He is particularly known for his freedom of thought and his critical tone towards the Algerian power and religions. His first work, The Barbarian Oath in 1999, which recounts the rise in power of the fundamentalists who contributed to plunging Algeria into a civil war, was immediately successful.
Since then, he has published many other novels and essays, such as Tell me heaven in 2003, Harraga in 2005, Rue Darwin in 2011 or 2084: the end of the world in 2015. In mid-September, he released his latest book The French, let’s talk about it!. His books, published in France, are freely sold in Algeria, although the author is controversial there.
What do we know about his disappearance?
Boualem Sansal traveled to Algeria last Saturday, November 16, leaving from Paris. His relatives indicate that they have not heard from him since. Thursday, the weekly Marianne indicated that the writer was arrested by the police upon his arrival in Algiers. He was reportedly imprisoned by the regime.
Daily life The World confirmed this information indicating that Boualem Sansal had been arrested by members of the general directorate of Algerian internal security upon his arrival at Algiers airport from Paris. He should be presented shortly before the public prosecutor, again according to the daily.
Why was he arrested?
As his arrest is not yet official, we do not yet know why the French writer was arrested. According to The Worldthe writer had already gone to Algeria at the beginning of the month, and was able to leave the country without difficulty. His friend Kamel Daoud, a Franco-Algerian writer who won the Goncourt 2024, however described this new trip to Algeria as “imprudence” in Le Figaro. In an interview with Figaro in September, Boualem Sansal indicated that he planned to come and settle in France soon. “I am actively working on it,” he declared.
It must be said that the arrest of Boualem Sansal comes in a tense diplomatic context between France and Algeria, particularly since France supported the Moroccan autonomy plan for the disputed territory of Western Sahara at the end of July. And Boualem Sansal continued to express very critical positions towards the Algerian kingdom. “When France colonized Algeria, the entire western part of Algeria was part of Morocco (…) When France colonized Algeria, it established itself as a protectorate in Morocco and decided like that, arbitrarily, to connect all of eastern Morocco to Algeria,” he declared in an interview with Borders.
What are the reactions?
“France must mobilize,” urged the International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism (Licra) on Thursday, recalling that “the danger is immense.” “The writer has constantly expressed (…) the strongest criticisms of all religions, of the Algerian regime, of the corruption and obsessive anitesmitism which reign in this country, of the atrocities committed by the Islamists… What we know about the brutality of the Algerian regime gives rise to the deepest concerns about the fate that could be reserved for it,” the association wrote in a press release.
Several political figures from the right and the center also expressed their concern. Edouard Philippe said he was “deeply worried”, saying he was counting “on the French and European authorities to obtain precise information and to ensure that he can move freely and return to Europe whenever he wishes”.
“All means of pressure on Algeria must be activated to obtain the release of our compatriot, the great writer Boualem Sansal,” also wrote on his X account the president of the Republican Right in the National Assembly, Laurent Wauquiez.
“The French writer and citizen Bouhalem Sansal no longer gives any sign of life. (…) This is an unacceptable situation. The French government must act to obtain his immediate release,” declared Marine Le Pen.
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