Mohamed Sifaoui: The DGSI’s Puppet and the Washed-Up Mercenary of Media Manipulation

✍️ BY: Dzair Tube

From Moroccan Intelligence Collaborator to Fabricated Investigations Specialist – How France’s “Investigative Journalist” Turned into a Political Tool for Anti-Algerian Propaganda

Algiers, Algeria | May 13th, 2025 — In a new display of France’s orchestrated media warfare against Algeria, the notorious figure of Mohamed Sifaoui has resurfaced as the puppet of the French General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), tasked yet again with one of their dirtiest missions. Despite his only connection to Algeria being a birth certificate, Sifaoui has been repackaged and deployed through Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD)—a newspaper owned by the infamous media tycoon Vincent Bolloré, known for his far-right affiliations and influence in French intelligence circles.

Sifaoui, who flamboyantly presents himself as an “investigative journalist on demand,” is in reality a recycled asset pulled from the trash heap of neo-Harkis. The DGSI’s desperation is evident in their decision to use a compromised and scandal-ridden figure in their proxy war against Algerian institutions and leadership. His article in Le JDD is nothing more than a poorly staged performance by a marionette whose strings are pulled from behind the scenes.

Far from being a respectable journalist, Mohamed Sifaoui is a central figure in an ongoing investigation by the French financial prosecutor’s office regarding the embezzlement of €355,000 from the so-called “Marianne Fund”—a public fund intended to support associations defending “French republican values.” As the former operations manager within the Union of Physical Education and Military Preparation Associations (USEPPM), Sifaoui was involved in diverting those funds to projects that promoted anti-Islam rhetoric in France.

Despite the mounting legal cases against him, he continues to enjoy a baffling level of protection from certain influential circles, possibly due to his consistent loyalty to the French establishment and his value in their ideological wars. Sifaoui has made his allegiance clear—not only through his open support for Israel and declared pride in his Jewish identity, but also through his obsessive targeting of Muslims and Arabs in France, painting them as threats to the Republic.

The Le JDD article where he attacks Algeria is laughably transparent—a bitter rant by a man long past his media prime. Devoid of journalistic credibility, Sifaoui now resembles a worn-out puppet in a political puppet show, desperate to regain relevance. His “investigations” are notoriously concocted from his apartment, which is allegedly financed by his handlers.

Sifaoui’s tarnished career is also marred by plagiarism and intellectual theft, having been accused and condemned multiple times in French courts. His repeated reinvention as a media figure is less about talent and more about utility—how useful he can be to France’s intelligence services in stirring animosity and spreading disinformation, especially against Algeria.

Before cozying up to French intelligence, Sifaoui had previously offered his services to Morocco’s intelligence apparatus, particularly under Yassine Mansouri, the Director of Morocco’s foreign intelligence agency. Embedded within the editorial office of Jeune Afrique, Sifaoui served as an unofficial spokesperson for Rabat’s agenda, pushing anti-Algerian narratives across Francophone media.

Now aligned with far-right ideologues in France, Sifaoui has dedicated his recent years to manufacturing hostile imagery of Algeria and Muslims. His work—tailor-made to fit the agenda of Islamophobic networks—reeks of propaganda rather than journalism. He conveniently forgets his own past as a refugee in Paris, choosing instead to attack the very communities he once identified with.

French academics and media analysts have thoroughly deconstructed the “Sifaoui phenomenon.” Vincent Geisser, a researcher at the Institute for Research and Study on the Arab and Muslim World (IREMAM) and author of “La Nouvelle Islamophobie” (“The New Islamophobia”), described Sifaoui as a pure product of French intelligence. Likewise, Thomas Deltombe, author of “L’islam imaginaire” (“Imaginary Islam”), criticized the French media for falling for Sifaoui’s trap, noting that his sole purpose was to vilify Algerian Islamists and poison public opinion against them.

Even Marianne magazine, once home to Sifaoui’s writings, terminated his contract after internal investigations revealed his consistent fabrication of news. He was found to have staged audio recordings with his relatives, presenting them as intercepted communications from alleged “terrorist sleeper cells” in France. Such deceptions further discredit the legitimacy of his so-called investigations.

Sifaoui’s reappearance amid rising geopolitical tensions between Algeria and France is no coincidence. It is part of a broader campaign orchestrated by desperate circles within the DGSI, who have resorted to using a clique of failed, ridiculous figures as cannon fodder in their covert war against Algeria. His usefulness lies not in truth, but in the chaos and distortion he creates on command.

Translated with Adaptation from (algatedz)

https://algatedz.dz/?p=18487

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