Boualem Sansal, a renowned Franco-Algerian author and intellectual aged 75, has been arrested by the Algerian intelligence services, after the French Ambassador to Algeria, Stéphane Romatet, who was notified, requested further information. A diplomatic intervention may be forthcoming. Gone missing since arriving in Algiers from Paris on November 16, 2024, it has been confirmed today that he was arrested. All attempts to contact him via WhatsApp, SMS, email, and phone have failed.
Sansal is a distinguished writer, honored with prestigious awards such as the Grand Prix du Roman de l’Académie française in 2015 for “2084: La Fin du Monde,” the Prix de la Paix des Libraires Allemands in 2011, the Grand Prix de la Francophonie de l’Académie française in 2013, and the Prix International de la Laïcité in 2018. In 2020, he became a member of the Académie des Sciences d’Outre-Mer.
Sansal and fellow author Kamel Daoud were banned from the 2024 Algiers International Book Fair (SILA) amid a broader censorship campaign targeting critical voices. Publishing house Gallimard, which publishes both authors, was also excluded. This move is widely seen as retaliation for their works.
Kamel Daoud, recipient of the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens, faced efforts by Algerian intelligence to prevent his novel “Houris” from being nominated for the Goncourt Prize. Despite these attempts, the novel was nominated, triggering a smear campaign in Algerian media. This reflects a pattern of suppressing voices that critically examine Algeria’s past. Allegations have also been made regarding the current Delegate Defense Minister, Said Chengriha, concerning his role during the “Black Decade.” He has been cited in publications alleging involvement in serious violations during the conflict, a subject that remains sensitive and heavily censored. The “Black Decade” holds significance for current Delegate Defense Minister Said Chengriha, implicated in war crimes and extrajudicial assassinations. Colonel Chengriha, then unknown to the public and long before becoming one of the most powerful men in the regime, is cited 14 times. It relates his direct responsibility in the death of at least 40 people, including one he allegedly shot in cold blood, leaving the body in a pool of blood, as well as eight violations of the Geneva Conventions and nine violations of the military code, for the period 1993 to 1995 in the Lakhdaria region alone.
Sansal’s disappearance coincides with several concerning developments in Algeria in the past few weeks, most prominently the failed attempt to kidnap journalist Hichem Aboud in Spain, the cancellation of events discussing topics like Algeria’s Jewish heritage, and the barring of medical students and medical doctors from academic exchanges, making academia subject to a special license before speaking abroad at conferences, illustrating the broader clampdown on intellectual and civil liberties. U.N. experts have last week criticized Algeria on its restrictions on Freedom with multiple arrests for basic Facebook posts. On its side, the Algerian regime scrambles to appease and flatten as much as possible negative perception and possible sanctions from the incoming Trump administration, whose stance on the Moroccan Western Sahara issue is known. Four main fears by the Military Regime of Algiers: opening a U.S. Consulate in Dakhla, classifying the Polisario as a terrorist organization, and U.S. sanctions against Algeria regarding weapons purchases from Russia, established intelligence links between Chengriha’s Military Junta and Wagner, Assad, and Iran’s IRGC.
On November 18, 2024 at the time of Boualem Sansal’s disappearance, Abdelmadjid Tebboune received a high-level U.S. delegation, including Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya and Deputy Under Secretary Barbara Leaf. A week before, NATO visited Tebboune as well and met with counterparts to discuss Algeria’s rising military budget, programmed to be $25 bln in 2025. The Military Regime of Algiers also summoned Sabri Boukadoum to engage the U.S. lobbying firm BGR Group in a $720,000 contract signed in October 2024. BGR Group’s connections to Israel are evident through its association with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who is prominently listed among its experts. Additionally, the firm played a significant role in facilitating the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and Bahrain. Algeria publicly opposed these accords and severed ties with Morocco because of them. This move is an attempt to decrease the toll and negative perception by the U.S. Boualem Sansal’s kidnapping is a miscalculation that will backfire on Chegriha’s Military Junta.
Boualem Sansal Prominent Franco-Algerian Author Arrested in Algeria
