[L’INVITÉ] Xavier Driencourt: “Boualem Sansal must not be forgotten”

Xavier Driencourt was French ambassador to Algiers twice (2008-2012 and 2017-2020). He testified to this rich experience in a fascinating and unanimously acclaimed work: The Algerian Enigma: chronicles of an embassy in Algiers. He answers questions from Gabrielle Cluzel in the middle of the Boualem Sansal affair. He recalls that France has means of pressure, but that courage is required. In any case, he invites the French and Algerians to continue to mobilize for the liberation of Boualem Sansal. He analyzes the French difficulty in using the balance of power for historical and political reasons. More generally, he reviews the current situation of relations between the two countries.

A fascinating interview: if Xavier Driencourt welcomes the memorial gestures of the President of the Republic, he regrets that they are unilateral, always on the side of France and never of Algeria. According to him, a French government with real political will must “ put things on the table “. Words of the future.