Algeria defends decision to expel 12 French officials

Algeria on Monday defended its “sovereign” decision to expel 12 French officials and blamed French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau for the resurgence of tension between the two countries.

In a statement, Algeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the 12 were declared persona non grata after the arrest in France of an Algerian consular official, a “vile act” which is “the consequence of the negative, distressing and constant attitude of the French minister of the interior toward Algeria,” its former colony, the statement said.

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Algeria has asked 12 French officials to leave in 48 hours, the French foreign minister said Monday, adding that this was linked to the arrest of three Algerian nationals in France.

“I am asking Algerian authorities to abandon these expulsion measures... if the decision to send back our officials is maintained, we will have no other choice but to respond immediately,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.

The 12 include some members of the French interior ministry, a diplomatic source told AFP.

On Friday, French prosecutors indicted three Algerians, including a consular official, on suspicion of involvement in the April 2024 abduction of an Algerian influencer, Amir Boukhors, in a Paris suburb.