French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot has announced that Algeria had ordered the expulsion of 12 French diplomatic embassy staff, giving them 48 hours to leave the country.
The foreign ministry said on April 14 it believed the move was a “direct response to the recent arrest of three Algerian nationals in France, suspected of involvement in criminal activity”.
Several Algerian individuals, including an official from the Algerian consulate, were arrested over alleged links to the abduction of Amir Boukhors, an Algerian dissident and regime critic also known as Amir DZ.
He was reportedly kidnapped in France in April 2024. Those suspected of involvement were indicted on April 11 2025.
Following the arrests, the Algerian foreign ministry denounced the detainment of its consular official, labelling it “unprecedented” and detrimental to the revival of Algerian-French relations.
In a statement issued on April 12, Algeria warned of consequences and described the situation as “inadmissible and unspeakable,” suggesting it would seriously damage bilateral ties.
Algeria then accused France of not wanting to fix or improve relations with the country.
“This unfortunate and unwelcome turn of events proves that certain French parties are not motivated by the same desire to revitalise bilateral relations,” government officials said.
“The commitment of both parties does not reflect the good faith and sincerity necessary to create the conditions for a calm resumption of the normal course of bilateral relations,” they added.
Barrot, though, criticised Algeria’s retaliatory move, calling the expulsion of the French personnel “unjustified and entirely disconnected from the legal proceedings concerning the three suspects”.
“If the decision to dismiss our agents is maintained, we will have no choice but to respond immediately,” he added.
Tensions between France and Algeria have increased in recent months and this latest diplomatic clash could threaten to further complicate efforts to normalise relations between the two countries.
