French diplomats given 48-hour notice to leave Algeria

Algeria has instructed 12 French officials to leave the country within 48 hours, as stated by the French foreign minister on Monday.

This action is reportedly related to the arrest of three Algerian nationals in France.

“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,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.

A diplomatic source revealed that among those asked to depart are members of the French interior ministry.

This incident follows the indictment of three Algerians, including a consular official, by French prosecutors on Friday, who are suspected of participating in the abduction of Algerian influencer Amir Boukhors in a Paris suburb in April 2024.

Known as “Amir DZ,” Boukhors is a vocal opponent of the Algerian government and has amassed over a million followers on TikTok and was granted political asylum in 2023.

The Algerian government is calling for his return to face legal proceedings, having issued nine international arrest warrants against him for alleged fraud and terrorism.

This situation puts additional pressure on a relationship that is already in disrepair. For decades, the ties between Paris and Algiers have been intricate, despite ongoing efforts to enhance their relationship.

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday that Paris would take reprisal measures if Algeria seeks the expulsion of 12 French officials amid a diplomatic spat linked to the arrest of three Algerian nationals in France.

Barrot said that the Algerian authorities had demanded that the 12 French officials leave Algeria within 48 hours.

“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,” Barrot said.

Algerian authorities have not immediately confirmed any imminent expulsion of the officials, who belong to France’s diplomatic staff.

The latest flare-up comes just a week after Barrot had said ties between France and its former colony were returning to normal after a major upset last year when French President Emmanuel Macron backed Morocco’s position over the disputed Western Sahara region.

Tensions flare between Algeria and France
Algeria’s reported request to the officials to leave the country comes after Algiers protested over the weekend against Frances’s detention of an Algerian consular agent suspected of involvement in the kidnapping of an Algerian influencer in April last year.

The influencer, Amir Boukhors, known as “Amir DZ,” is an opponent of the Algerian government who was granted political asylum in France in 2023 after arriving there in 2016. He was released a day after his abduction, according to his lawyer.

Algiers is demanding that Boukhors return to Algeria to face trial. Nine international arrest warrants have been issued against him, accusing him of fraud and terror offenses.

Two other Algerians were indicted by French prosecutors on Friday along with the consular official.

Algiers has claimed that the arrest of the latter was aimed at undermining recent attempts at fence-mending between the two countries.

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