Diplomatic relations between France and Algeria have taken a severe turn after Algeria announced the expulsion of 12 French officials on Monday. The expulsions came as a response to the arrest of an Algerian consular official in France, who was accused of involvement in the kidnapping of an Algerian influencer.
According to reports, three Algerians were arrested in France and charged with terrorism-related offenses. One of them was the Algerian consular official, who is alleged to have been involved in the April 2024 kidnapping of Amir Boukhors, a known critic of the Algerian government.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has called on Algeria’s authorities to reconsider their decision, stating that French officials have no connection with the current legal proceedings. However, he warned that if the expulsion order is not lifted, France will take immediate action.
The expulsions are a significant blow to recent efforts to revive diplomatic relations between the two countries, which had shown signs of improvement after a phone call between French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
In an interview with French national news broadcaster France Television, Boukhors shared his account of being kidnapped in April 2024 in Paris. He described how he was abducted by four people claiming to be police officers, only to be released after 27 hours.
The expulsions are the latest escalation in tensions between France and Algeria, which have been strained since France’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara. The situation has worsened following the arrest of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in November, who is currently serving a five-year prison sentence.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/algeria-french-officials-expelled-kidnapping-amir-dz-5fbfca9de7702772c44686f7d2aab707