France has expelled 12 Algerian diplomatic officials in what it describes as a “symmetrically” measured response to Algeria’s earlier removal of 12 French representatives, deepening the already strained relations between the two countries.

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Algeria had announced the expulsion of the French officials on Monday, citing the arrest of one of its consular staff by French authorities.

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The official was implicated in a kidnapping case, but tensions between Algiers and Paris had been building long before the incident.

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The diplomatic fallout traces back to France’s policy shift last summer in favor of Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara—a move that angered Algeria, which backs the pro-independence Polisario Front in the disputed region.

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Relations worsened again in November after the Algerian government detained French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, a prominent critic of Algiers.

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As part of its retaliatory move, France not only expelled the 12 Algerian officials but also recalled its ambassador to Algiers for consultations. A statement from the French presidential palace on Tuesday accused Algerian authorities of being responsible for “a brutal deterioration in our bilateral relations.”

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The backdrop of the latest tit-for-tat expulsions includes an ongoing investigation by French counterterrorism prosecutors.

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Three Algerian nationals, including the detained consular official, were recently charged with “kidnapping or arbitrary detention … in connection with a terrorist undertaking.”

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The suspects are believed to be linked to the abduction of Algerian influencer Amir Boukhors, also known as Amir DZ, who is a vocal critic of the Algerian regime and commands a large online following of over 1.1 million on TikTok.

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This flare-up in tensions comes shortly after what seemed to be a thaw in relations. French President Emmanuel Macron had reached out to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune just two weeks ago, with both sides reportedly agreeing to mend ties and revive cooperation.

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