Algeria orders out French agents, Paris threatens retaliation

Just days after a diplomatic thaw seemed within reach, tensions between France and Algeria have flared anew.

On Monday, Algiers ordered the expulsion of twelve French diplomats, a sharp reaction to the recent arrest in Paris of an Algerian consular official suspected of involvement in a politically charged kidnapping case. The move threatens to undo the fragile progress made in rekindling ties between the two countries.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot responded swiftly, warning that France is prepared to take reciprocal action if the expulsions go ahead. 

“I urge Algerian authorities to reverse these expulsion measures, which have no connection to the ongoing legal proceedings,” Barrot said in a written statement. “If this decision is upheld, we will have no choice but to respond immediately.”

According to diplomatic sources, some of the individuals Algeria seeks to expel are officials from the French Interior Ministry.

Algeria’s move follows the arrest and indictment of a consular agent in France over suspected involvement in the abduction of Algerian influencer Amir Boukhors in April 2024. Boukhors, a vocal critic of the Algerian regime, was allegedly kidnapped on French soil and later released. 

French anti-terror prosecutors have charged three men, including the consular agent, with kidnapping in connection with a terrorist enterprise.

Algeria’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the arrest as “unacceptable and unjustifiable,” warning that it would seriously damage bilateral relations and pledging that the matter would not go unanswered.

This new episode starkly contrasts with last week’s optimism, when Jean-Noël Barrot, after meetings with Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, announced a “new phase” in Franco-Algerian relations. Just days earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron and President Tebboune had signaled the end of a particularly intense diplomatic standoff.

But the latest developments cast doubt on the durability of any reconciliation. As observers note, the Algerian regime’s unpredictable behavior continues to pose a major challenge to stable and constructive engagement with France.