Algeria has told 12 French embassy staff to leave within 48 hours, escalating a diplomatic row. France vows to respond if the expulsions proceed

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]lgeria has demanded that 12 French embassy staff depart the country within 48 hours, a move confirmed by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

Also read: Foreign students with low grades risk deportation – UK

This latest development sharply escalates the ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two nations. Mr Barrot stated that the expulsion order is directly linked to the indictment in France last Friday of three Algerian nationals, one of whom holds a consular position.

The three Algerians face accusations of involvement in the abduction of Amir Boukhors, a 41-year-old prominent online critic of the Algerian government with over a million followers.

Mr Boukhors, also known as Amir DZ, reportedly received asylum in France in 2023 and has resided there since 2016. He was abducted in the southern suburbs of Paris in April 2024 and released the following day, according to his lawyer, Eric Plouvier.

Mr Plouvier told AFP that his client had been the target of two serious attacks, one in 2022 and the second on the evening of April 29, 2024.

French media reports detailed how Mr Boukhors was forced into a car by individuals posing as police officers using a flashing light, only to be released without explanation in a wooded area the next day.

Algerian authorities have labelled the online influencer as “a saboteur linked to terrorist groups” and have issued nine international arrest warrants against him, alleging fraud and associations with terrorist organisations.

Mr Boukhors vehemently denies these allegations, and in 2022, French courts rejected attempts to extradite him to Algeria.

This incident is the latest in a series of events that have strained the relationship between France and Algeria. These include the arrest and imprisonment in Algeria of French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal, who was accused of undermining Algeria’s territorial integrity.

Furthermore, Algeria recalled its ambassador from Paris last year after France voiced its support for Morocco’s claim over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

A diplomatic source informed AFP that the 12 French officials ordered to leave on Monday include some members of the French interior ministry.

Responding to the Algerian demand, Mr Barrot stated: “I am asking Algerian authorities to abandon these expulsion measures… if the decision to send back our officials is maintained, we will have no other choice but to respond immediately.”

Mr Barrot asserted that the expulsions were a direct reaction to the indictment of the three Algerian nationals in Paris on Friday.

The charges against them include abduction, arbitrary detention, illegal confinement, and participation in a terrorist organisation.

In response, Algeria’s foreign ministry summoned French ambassador Stéphane Romatet to express its “strong protest” and demanded the immediate release of the detained consular official, according to the official Algerian news agency.

The ministry claimed that the individual “was arrested in public and then taken into custody without notification through the diplomatic channels” and suggested that the timing was “not a coincidence as it happens in a very specific context with the aim of stymying the process of relaunching bilateral relations”.

Despite the escalating tensions, tentative steps had been taken to mend relations between the two countries, including a phone call between French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in March.

A joint statement following the call described a “long, frank and friendly exchange on the state of bilateral relations and the tensions that have built up in recent months.”

Also read: Foreign students with low grades risk deportation – UK

Following an official visit to Algeria on April 6, where he met with President Tebboune, Mr Barrot had expressed hope for a “new phase” in relations. However, this latest development casts a shadow over these efforts.