Abdelmadjid Tebboune Algeria president photo supplied
By Our Correspondent
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (79) was a no-show at the recently ended G20 Summit in South Africa due to health reasons, high-level diplomatic sources revealed.
Tebboune was one of at least six African heads of state invited by South Africa, a permanent member of the G20, and was expected at numerous critical side events, chief among them a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss Paris and Algiers’ structural deadlock in their bilateral relationship.
“The French were not happy that Tebboune downgraded his invite to the G20. Instead, he sent Prime Minister Sifi Ghirieb,” said the source.
The source added that Tebboune, who had the previous week travelled to Constantine, a city in Algeria, to inaugurate the opening of a stadium and hospital, was fatigued.
Newspaper reports in North Africa claim that the president was suffering from long Covid-19 and was not advised to take long-haul flights.
The Algerian government had not responded to questions by the time of going to press.
Quoting an Algerian journalist, Mohamed Sifaoul, the French publication Rapture Magazine said, “Tebboune may be showing signs of an early neurodegenerative condition.”
Downgraded talks with France.
President Macron emphasised that “there is still much to correct” while reiterating his wish to “build a more peaceful relationship” with Algiers.
He called for a shift away from posturing in order to attain “measurable results”, pointing out that the Franco-Algerian relationship is still “instrumentalised” in both nations.
The downgraded Algerian delegation, on the other hand, took a cautious stance and made no firm statements about bilateral matters.
This environment comes after a tense period in 2025 that was characterised by the ongoing conflict over Western Sahara and persecution of writer Boualem Sansal.
The Elysee Palace [French presidential office] claims that although Macron’s strategy—described as “demanding yet respectful”—has produced some modest progress, the G20 summit makes it abundantly evident that Algiers’capacity and willingness to engage more deeply are now the only factors that will allow for an effective resumption of dialogue.
However, there was no announcement of a schedule for the resumption of talks.
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