Concerns Rise for Missing Franco-Algerian Novelist Boualem Sansal

Boualem Sansal, a prominent Franco-Algerian writer known for his outspoken views against the Algerian regime, has gone missing after landing in Algiers. French officials express deep concern, suspecting he may have been arrested by police.

The concern surrounding Boualem Sansal, a Franco-Algerian author and notable critic of the Algerian government, has intensified following his disappearance after flying from France to Algeria last weekend. French President Emmanuel Macron has publicly joined the outcry for information regarding Sansal, who was last reported to have been arrested upon his arrival in Algiers, according to various French media outlets.

Macron's administration is reportedly monitoring the situation closely. A spokesman from the Elysée palace emphasized that the president holds in high regard the freedoms that Sansal, a significant literary and intellectual figure, represents. Numerous French politicians, predominantly from center-right parties, have also echoed concerns for Sansal’s safety due to his frequent critiques of the Algerian leadership and the rising tide of Islamism in the region.

Despite these calls from France, there has been no official acknowledgment or response from the Algerian government as of Friday. Among those who have expressed worry is former prime minister Edouard Philippe, who described Sansal as an embodiment of reason and freedom against authoritarianism and oppression. Far-right politician Marine Le Pen praised him as a “fighter for liberty” and a staunch opponent of radicalism.

Friends discovered Sansal’s phone was turned off and that he had not returned home to Boumerdès, further heightening fears regarding his wellbeing. Notably, fellow author Kamel Daoud, recognized for his recent prestigious literary award, voiced acute concern for Sansal during a recent interview, condemning the Algerian regime's disdain for writers and suggesting that political tensions related to Morocco might be influencing the government’s hostility toward critics.

The backdrop to this crisis is Macron's recent foreign policy shift favoring Morocco, a move which has displeased many in Algeria. Speculation among French media suggests that Sansal’s potential arrest could be tied to comments he made questioning Algeria's claims over certain territories and its fabricated identity of the Polisario, which aims to undermine Morocco.

Both Sansal and Daoud have long been targets of scorn from the Algerian establishment, labeled as traitors by supporters of the regime for their critiques. Sansal, a former civil servant who lost his government position due to his literary works, was previously condemned for attending a book fair in Jerusalem in 2012. Daoud rose to prominence by chronicling the horrors of Algeria's civil war, and his latest challenges underscore the ongoing struggles faced by writers in an environment hostile to free expression.