Girard Renaud, international columnist for Le Figaro, was the guest of several programs in October 2024 to react to the growing tensions between France and Algeria, exacerbated by the declarations of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
During these interventions, Girard addressed sensitive subjects such as Franco-Algerian relations, the plundered territories in Morocco, as well as the political situation in Algeria, which he described as a dictatorship. He also recalled some historical facts linked to the territorial disputes between Morocco and Algeria, while criticizing the management of Algerian power.
Thus, Girard Renaud Girard reacted to Tebboune’s scandalous declarations on Franco-Algerian relations and his visit to Paris postponed several times, while recalling some historical realities on the territories despoiled by France in Morocco and ceded to its North African department which will become what we call today Algeria with vast territories which did not belong to it..
In the show “Face à Margot Haddad”, presented by Margot Haddad on TF1, Girard Renaud asserts that the Algerian power “which is at the same time murderous, both lazy and visibly ignorant of the directors.” adding that Algeria is a dictatorship.
“This Algerian power which has been incapable of doing anything with this wealth, which has been incapable of satisfying its people, which is incapable of giving democracy to its people, there you have it, Algeria is a dictatorship. I think we cannot take lessons from Mr. Tebboune. » declared Girard Renaud.
“If you want, General de Gaulle had offered part of the Sahara to the Moroccans. The Moroccans said no. We will discuss with our brothers who are fighting against you, our Algerian brothers.” referring to the territories of Moroccan Eastern Sahara despoiled by the French settler, of which Bechchar and Tindouf are part.
And Girard Renaud adds, not without a dose of irony, that these discussions led to the War of the Sands of Sixty-three (1963) “where Algeria attacked Morocco. So if you look at a map, when you see what Algeria received in terms of desert from France and what Morocco has, it seems to me quite normal that today Morocco is the extension of its country on the Sahara. We did everything to have referendums and that was not possible. But I think that France’s position towards Morocco is only fair.”
It should be remembered that General de Gaulle, who had decided to give independence to Algeria, proposed to the late HM King Mohammed V that the border problem be resolved through direct discussions between France and Morocco. The Franco-Moroccan discussions were unsuccessful, because the Moroccan sovereign, who had a clear vision of Maghreb solidarity, did not want an arrangement that would have been made “on the backs” of the Algerians.
And Girard Renaud Girard concludes by addressing Margot Haddad: “Just look at Margaux, a map…”, in reference to the vast territories of what we call Algeria, in comparison with Morocco which was despoiled of its territories and torn apart by the settlers.
Through his interventions, Girard Renaud Girard highlighted the complexity of relations between France, Morocco and Algeria, while highlighting the impact of colonial legacies on current conflicts.
His remarks, sometimes marked with irony, point to a sharp criticism of the Algerian regime, while supporting the Moroccan position on its territories. Faced with poisoned Franco-Algerian relations, Girard recalls the need for historical understanding and honest dialogue, particularly around the Moroccan Sahara and plundered territories.
It should be remembered that, during a television interview, after his swearing-in in Algiers on September 17, 2024, the President of Algeria thus dismissed the idea of a visit to France, which he considered humiliating. .
“I will not go to Canossa,” said Abdelmadjid Tebboune. Popularized by German Chancellor Bismarck at the end of the 19th century, this expression means to go and beg for forgiveness. It refers to the step that the Germanic Emperor Henry IV was forced to take in the 11th century, who went to the Italian town of Canossa to implore Pope Gregory VII to lift the excommunication which he This had hit him.
The visit of the Algerian president, constantly postponed since May 2023, was most recently planned between the end of September and the beginning of October 2024. But relations between Algiers and Paris became frosty again after the announcement at the end of July of Paris’ support for the plan. autonomy of Morocco for its Sahara. Algiers immediately recalled its ambassador and reduced its diplomatic representation by keeping only one charge d’affaires.
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