France-Algeria tensions escalate: Paris to expel Algerian diplomats

According to Reuters, the French Foreign Ministry, after summoning Algeria’s chargé d’affaires, stated in a release: “France reserves the right to take further measures depending on how the situation evolves.”

The French Foreign Ministry’s statement did not specify the number of Algerian officials to be expelled in this retaliatory action.

Relations between France and Algeria, a former French colony, have long been complex but deteriorated further last year when French President Emmanuel Macron supported Morocco’s stance on the disputed Western Sahara region, sparking outrage in Algeria.

Tensions between the two countries eased briefly last month following a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to Algeria, but relations came under strain again the following week due to reciprocal diplomatic expulsions.

Algeria’s APS news agency reported on Monday that the French chargé d’affaires was informed that 15 French diplomatic personnel were in “unrelated posts” and must be expelled.

Barrot, in an interview with BFM TV on Wednesday, said relations between the two countries are “completely frozen.”