Algeria has given 12 French officials 48 hours to leave the country, a move that has further strained diplomatic ties between the two nations.

0

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday that the decision is connected to the recent arrest of three Algerian nationals who are suspected of kidnapping a well-known critic of the Algerian government in Paris last year.

1

Barrot urged Algerian authorities to “abandon these expulsion measures” and warned that if the order is not reversed, “France would have no choice but to respond immediately.”

2

According to a diplomatic source who spoke to AFP, some of the 12 individuals ordered to leave belong to the French Ministry of the Interior.

3

Last week, French prosecutors charged three Algerians, including a consular official, for allegedly participating in the abduction of Amir Boukhors.

4

The suspects are also facing charges of “terrorist” conspiracy and have been placed in pre-trial detention.

5

6

Boukhors, a social media influencer critical of the Algerian government and known online as “Amir DZ,” has over one million followers on TikTok. He was granted asylum in France in 2023. According to his lawyer, he was kidnapped in a suburb of Paris in April last year and was released the following day.

7

Algeria is pushing for his return to face trial and has issued nine international arrest warrants against him, accusing him of fraud and terrorism-related crimes.

8

Rising Tensions

9

This latest dispute risks derailing recent efforts to rebuild diplomatic relations between France and Algeria, a former French colony. Just last week, Barrot visited Algiers and claimed that ties had returned to normal following talks with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

10

However, tensions have been simmering. Last July, French President Emmanuel Macron upset Algerian leaders by supporting Morocco’s proposal to grant autonomy to Western Sahara under Moroccan control.

11

Last month, an Algerian court sentenced French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal to five years in prison for undermining national unity, prompting Macron to call for his release.

12

If Algeria follows through with the expulsion order, it would mark the first time French diplomats have been expelled from Algeria since the country gained independence in 1962, according to France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

13