OREANDA-NEWS  French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed hope that France and Algeria will be able to “look back at the past with humility” in order to establish trust and cooperation in the future.Security expert Akram Kharief, who is also the founder and moderator of the Menadefense website, told Sputnik that the French president had come to Algeria “with a list of demands” and that he has “few things to offer in return”.According to him, tensions have been exacerbated by “the height of the gas crisis [in Europe]”, the Ukraine conflict and France’s withdrawal from an anti-terror operation in Mali.The expert added that Algeria is now expecting “really concrete gestures, […] apologies,” and “firm commitments”, as well as “moral and financial reparations” from France.As for the Sahel region and Mali, Kharief went on to claim that Macron is visiting Algeria as he hopes for “closer cooperation with the Algerian Army in relation to Mali, but especially with respect to Niger, where Paris is currently trying to boost its clout.”Algeria, for its part, has its own agenda, primarily a political one, when it comes to the development of the Sahel, which is why France must adapt itself to Algeria’s demands” in this regard, the expert concluded.Relations between Paris and Algiers worsened last year when Algeria recalled its envoy to France, accusing its former colonial ruler of "genocide" amid reports that President Emmanuel Macron claimed that Algiers' “political-military system” had rewritten the country’s history to foment “hatred towards France”.Algeria gained its independence from France following an eight-year war, which ended with the signing of the 1962 Evian Accords that granted Algeria the right to self-determination. Shortly thereafter, 99.7% of Algerians voted for independence.As far as Mali is concerned, France withdrew its troops from the West African nation earlier this month, bringing its anti-terror Operation Barkhane, which kicked off in 2017, to a close, and relocating its headquarters to Niger.French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastian Lecornu pledged that “France's commitment to the fight against terrorism in the Sahel will continue,” adding that “this is the meaning of the new agenda that Emmanuel Macron wishes with Africa, which will be based on reinforced cooperation with the countries of the area,” such as Niger.The remarks came as Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop accused France of supporting terrorist groups inside the country, arguing that French aircraft have illegally crossed Malian airspace more than 50 times since the beginning of 2022.The Sahel region of Africa is located immediately south of the Sahara and includes parts of Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, Nigeria, and Cameroon.