3 days ago
French Intelligence Leaks Document Targeting Algeria!
The decline in official French statements hostile to Algeria does not necessarily mean that Paris has a desire to de-escalate and restore bilateral relations, which have been on ice for about a year now. The proof is the leaking of an official document from a sovereign French body that attacks Algeria and accuses it of destabilizing France.
This document was issued by the 'French Service for Vigilance and Protection against Foreign Digital Interference,' known by its acronym 'Viginum,' which represents the technical information branch of French intelligence. It was leaked to the satirical newspaper 'Le Canard Enchaîné' and includes accusations that Algeria is waging an electronic war against France with the aim of destabilizing it, according to the newspaper, which claimed to have seen it.
In its issue published on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, the newspaper spoke of another 'war,' not apparent, in addition to the escalating diplomatic crisis, taking place in the virtual world, based on the document leaked from the corridors of the French intelligence's cybercrime fighting services. This marks the latest escalation from the French side, after months of an undeclared truce, during which French politicians, led by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, refrained from delving into the current diplomatic and political crisis.
The document issued by the 'French Service for Vigilance and Protection against Foreign Digital Interference' claims that an army of fake Algerian accounts is waging an anti-France campaign on social media platforms to manipulate public opinion and tarnish the reputation of the French government.
It also claims that these accounts publish 'the exact same content at the exact same time or within minutes.'
The document, which attempted to provide some details, based on what 'Le Canard Enchaîné' reported, speaks of the creation of 4652 online posts and 55 YouTube videos about an alleged conspiracy by the French Directorate-General for External Security against Algeria within just twenty days in December 2024, as well as targeting some French brands, such as the cheese brand 'La Vache qui rit,' the automotive giant 'Peugeot,' and the famous brand 'Lacoste' specializing in clothing.
In a serious escalation that indicates that the warming of bilateral relations is not as close as some portray it, the French Service for Vigilance and Protection against Foreign Digital Interference accuses Algerian sovereign entities, which confirms that the French authorities are trying to hide behind media leaks in order to provoke Algeria, and then hide behind freedom of expression, as they market their justifications every time.
The document leaked by 'Le Canard Enchaîné' comes at a time when the French authorities are experiencing a state of frustration due to the failure of all their maneuvers aimed at dissuading the Algerian authorities from some of their sovereign positions, especially regarding the continued imprisonment of the Franco-Algerian writer, Boualem Sansal, and the sports journalist, Christophe Galtier, a dilemma that has exhausted the Paris authorities and put them before difficult challenges in front of French public opinion.
It is not unlikely that this incident will pass without a firm Algerian response, for which the appropriate time will be chosen, because the document was issued by a sovereign entity, and it reveals how a highly sensitive French institution views Algeria. Moreover, the existence of such a belief means that the victim party, if it can be said, will respond in its own way, and this indicates that there are signs of an impending escalation on the Algiers-Paris axis, which remains hostage to the repercussions of the ill-considered decision taken by French President Emmanuel Macron last summer, by engaging in support for the so-called autonomy plan in Western Sahara, which was presented by the Moroccan regime in 2007.
