Algeria expels 12 French diplomats in escalation with France

ALGIERS - Algeria on Monday ordered 12 French diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, declaring them "personae non gratae" in a move that marks a sharp escalation in diplomatic tensions with France.

The expulsion follows the arrest of an Algerian consular official by French authorities -- an action Algiers described as a blatant violation of diplomatic immunity.

France confirmed receiving the expulsion notice of the 12 embassy officials, including personnel from the French Interior Ministry.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot urged Algeria to "abandon" the expulsions and said France was ready to "respond immediately" if they went ahead, according to French media reports.

The expulsion follows Algeria's summoning of French Ambassador Stephane Romatet on Saturday to protest the arrest of its consular official.

The detained diplomat was reportedly questioned over alleged links to the 2024 abduction of Amir Boukhras, an Algerian activist based in Paris known on social media as "AmirDZ".

Algeria dismissed the case against its consular official as baseless, noting that the only evidence cited by French authorities was his phone being detected near Boukhors' residence.

It demanded the diplomat's immediate release, calling the arrest a "fabricated pretext" that undermines recent efforts to restore Franco-Algerian ties.

Algiers warned that any further infringement on its sovereignty would trigger a firm response based on reciprocity.

The confrontation marks the most serious diplomatic rupture between the two countries in years, straining a relationship still shaped by colonial-era grievances and modern disputes, including immigration and France's backing of Morocco in disputes over Western Sahara.