Author Boualem Sansal to make first visit to Morocco

Francophone Algerian author Boualem Sansal is scheduled to make his first visit to Morocco this coming November. The two-week visit follows an invitation from the media outlet Le360 to participate in the ‘Le Grand Témoin’ event.

The itinerary includes public lectures at universities in Rabat and Fez, organized in coordination with the French publishing house Grasset. Sansal is also expected to spend three days in Dakhla before concluding the trip with two days in Tangier, which will feature a reception hosted by the French Embassy.

This visit follows significant legal and political controversy. Sansal was detained by Algerian authorities in November 2024 and sentenced to five years in prison following statements regarding the historical borders between Algeria and Morocco. He was later granted amnesty following Moroccan diplomatic efforts, allowing him to travel to Berlin for medical treatment before returning to France. His comments, suggesting that parts of western Algeria were historically part of Morocco prior to French colonial border redrawing, drew intense criticism from Algerian authorities.