Algeria has ordered 12 French embassy staff to leave the country within 48 hours, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed on Monday. The move follows the indictment of three Algerian nationals in France, one of whom is a consular official.
The individuals are accused of involvement in the April 2024 abduction of Amir Boukhors, also known as Amir DZ—a prominent critic of the Algerian government with over one million followers online. Boukhors was reportedly granted asylum in France in 2023 and has lived in the country since 2016.
“This is an unprecedented step,” Barrot said, noting that French authorities have never before arrested an employee of the Algerian consulate. “I am asking Algerian authorities to abandon these expulsion measures… If the decision is maintained, we will have no other choice but to respond immediately.”
A diplomatic source told AFP that some of the 12 expelled officials work for France’s Interior Ministry.
Boukhors’ lawyer, Eric Plouvier, said the activist was kidnapped in the southern suburbs of Paris and released the following day. He had previously survived two attacks, one in 2022 and another on April 29, 2024. French media reported he was abducted by men posing as police officers and later found in woodland outside the capital.
Algerian authorities accuse Boukhors of fraud and links to terrorist groups, calling him “a saboteur.” Nine international arrest warrants have been issued against him, but French courts refused his extradition in 2022. Boukhors denies all allegations.
The diplomatic rift comes amid wider tensions between Paris and Algiers. In 2023, Algeria recalled its ambassador after France supported Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara. The recent imprisonment of French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal in Algeria has also fueled strains, with authorities accusing him of undermining national integrity.
On Friday, French prosecutors charged the three Algerian nationals—one of them a consular employee—with abduction, unlawful detention, and involvement with a terrorist organization.
In response, Algeria’s foreign ministry summoned the French ambassador, protesting what it called the “arbitrary” arrest of its consular official, reportedly carried out without proper diplomatic notification.
Algeria described the arrest as politically motivated, accusing France of seeking to derail recent efforts to improve relations. A March phone call between President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, as well as Barrot’s official visit to Algiers earlier this month, had been seen as tentative steps toward reconciliation.
“The two presidents had a long, frank, and friendly exchange,” read a joint statement at the time. Barrot had expressed hope for a “new phase” in bilateral ties.
BBC
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