Doha – In a thunderous diplomatic blow, Paris ordered today the immediate expulsion of twelve Algerian diplomatic agents and summoned home its ambassador from Algiers, matching Algeria’s reckless decision to banish French officials just days earlier.
“The Algerian authorities take responsibility for a brutal deterioration of our bilateral relations,” the Élysée Palace declared in a scathing rebuke.
The statement came after Algeria’s impulsive regime gave twelve French interior ministry officials a mere 48-hour ultimatum to exit the country – a move French officials branded as “unjustified” and “incomprehensible.”
The diplomatic tempest erupted after French authorities arrested an Algerian consular agent caught red-handed in Paris.
The agent, alongside two accomplices, faces charges in a shocking kidnapping plot targeting Amir DZ, a prominent anti-regime influencer who sought refuge in France from Algeria’s mounting oppression.
“If Algeria makes the choice of escalation, we will respond with the utmost firmness,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot warned on France 2. Hours later, as Algeria stubbornly maintained its hostile stance, Paris pulled the trigger on reciprocal measures.
“The Algerian authorities have chosen escalation: we are responding as announced,” the French minister wrote on X, slamming Algeria’s erratic response.
“In response to their unjustified and incomprehensible decision, we are expelling 12 Algerian agents and recalling our ambassador for consultations. Dialogue always, but not one-way,” he added.
Read also: New Tensions Erupt Between France, Algeria After Short-Lived De-escalation
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau didn’t mince words on CNews: “It’s unacceptable, truly inadmissible that France be a playground for Algerian services.”
The unprecedented tit-for-tat expulsions – the largest since Algeria’s 1962 independence – obliterated the paper-thin diplomatic truce achieved during Barrot’s recent Algiers visit.
Algeria’s state media machine launched a vitriolic assault through its official press agency, desperately targeting Retailleau as a minister who “excels in barbouzeries” (dirty tricks).
The French government dismissed this transparent attempt to single out Retailleau, with Paris viewing the expulsions as a direct assault on French sovereignty.
The crisis has effectively torpedoed any hopes of reconciliation, barely a week after Barrot’s conciliatory mission to Algiers.
“In this difficult context, France will defend its interests and continue to demand that Algeria fully respect its obligations,” the Élysée emphasized, particularly regarding “national security and migration cooperation.”
Meanwhile, France continues to strengthen its strategic partnership with Morocco, recently reaffirming its “unchangeable” support for Rabat’s territorial integrity and autonomy initiative in Western Sahara.
