France has announced plans to expel 12 agents working within Algeria’s consular and diplomatic network, and will also recall its ambassador to Algiers for consultations.
- France plans to expel 12 agents from Algeria’s consular and diplomatic network.
- Tensions escalated as Algeria expelled 12 French diplomatic staff in response.
- The relationship between France and Algeria has been complex, with recent tensions heightened by disagreements over the Western Sahara region.
France has announced plans to expel 12 agents working within Algeria’s consular and diplomatic network, and will also recall its ambassador to Algiers for consultations, the French presidency said on Tuesday.
The rising tensions between Paris and its former colony come after French police detained an Algerian consular official on suspicion of involvement in the kidnapping of an opposition activist.
In response, Algeria expelled 12 French diplomatic staff, escalating tensions between the two countries.
DON’T MISS THIS: Nigeria becomes 23rd country to enforce AfCFTA tariff commitments
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot took to X to criticize Algeria’s move, calling it “unjustified” and emphasizing that dialogue between the two nations “cannot be one-sided.”
Longstanding tensions
France’s relationship with Algeria, a former colony, has long been fraught, but tensions worsened last year when President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for Morocco’s stance in the disputed Western Sahara region, angering Algiers.
DON’T MISS THIS: Zimbabwe and other countries that offered to drop all tariffs on U.S goods
Ironically, just last week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that diplomatic ties between the two countries were beginning to normalize.
According to Barrot, both sides shared a determination to rebuild a partnership rooted in mutual respect and equality.
“We go back to normal, and to repeat the words of President Tebboune: ‘the curtain is lifted’,” Barrot said in a statement after the talks.
