Barrot

Algeria has ordered the expulsion of a dozen French officials, escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot responded on Monday, asserting that the expulsion was linked to the recent arrest of three Algerian nationals in connection with the kidnapping of a high-profile critic of the Algerian government in Paris last year.

Barrot urged Algerian authorities to reverse their decision, warning that France would be forced to “respond immediately” if the order was carried out. This move comes amid strained relations between France and Algeria, which worsened following French President Emmanuel Macron’s support of an autonomy plan for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty last July. The tensions further escalated last month when an Algerian court sentenced French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal to five years in prison for undermining national unity, prompting calls from Macron for his release.

Despite these tensions, Barrot had declared last week following talks with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune that relations were returning to normal. However, this latest expulsion order marks a significant deterioration.

The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said on Monday that if the expulsion is executed, it would be the first such action since Algeria gained independence from France in 1962. According to diplomatic sources, among those ordered to leave are some members of the French Ministry of the Interior.

The expulsion follows the indictment of three Algerians by French prosecutors on suspicion of involvement in the 2023 kidnapping of Amir Boukhors, a prominent critic of the Algerian government. Boukhors, a social media influencer with over a million followers on TikTok under the name “Amir DZ,” was abducted in a Paris suburb in April 2023 but released the next day. He was granted asylum in France in 2023. Algeria has demanded his return, issuing nine international arrest warrants against him on charges of fraud and terrorism.

The diplomatic dispute risks undoing recent efforts to normalize relations between the two nations, which include Barrot’s visit to Algeria just a week ago.