France has expelled 12 Algerian diplomats and recalled its ambassador, deepening an already fraught diplomatic rift between Paris and Algiers.
The move follows Algeria’s expulsion of 12 French officials, announced Sunday, in response to the arrest of an Algerian consular employee in France.
President Emmanuel Macron’s office condemned Algeria’s actions as “incomprehensible and unjustified,” urging Algiers to resume dialogue and accept responsibility.
Officials in Paris were “stunned” by the deterioration, which came just two weeks after Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune spoke by phone to improve relations.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who recently visited Algiers to ease tensions, said Algeria had instead “chosen escalation.”
Ties between the nations have frayed since France recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, a region where Algeria supports the Polisario Front.
Tensions further spiked after the November arrest of French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal, 80, on national security charges.
Sansal’s daughters appealed to Macron for his release, calling their father a “hostage” of the political fallout in a Le Figaro op-ed on Tuesday.
Algeria labeled the recent French arrest of its consular official a “vile act” and accused Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau of sabotaging reconciliation efforts.
Algeria has also refused to repatriate nationals France ordered expelled, including a man who fatally stabbed a person in Mulhouse in February.
Barrot linked Algeria’s expulsions to France’s arrest of three Algerians, one a consular employee, over the kidnapping of activist Amir Boukhors.
The suspects are charged with kidnapping and terrorist conspiracy, intensifying the already volatile diplomatic atmosphere.
Retailleau defended Tuesday’s expulsions, stating France “will not be a playground for Algerian security services.”
Macron’s office insisted France would continue defending its interests and demand full cooperation from Algeria on security and migration.
