April 14 (UPI) — Tensions between France and Algeria seemingly escalated after Algerian officials requested 12 French embassy to leave its borders within 48 hours, according to France’s foreign affairs minister.
It was due in part to the indictment on Friday of three Algerian nationals in France — one who is named as a consulate official — on charges of abduction, arbitrary detention, illegal confinement and participating in a terrorist organization against an Algerian government critic, added French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
Barrot implored Algerian leaders to “abandon” plans to expel French diplomats, saying France was ready to “respond immediately” if need be.
On Monday, he asked Algerian authorities to “stop these expulsion measures that have no link to an ongoing legal case.”
“If the decision to expel our staff is maintained we will have no other choice than to respond immediately,” he said.
The accused were allegedly involved in last year’s abduction of Amir Boukhours, who is an outspoken critic of the Algerian government and President Abdelmadjid Tebboun.
Boukhours, 41, is also known as “Amir DZ” with a social media following of more than one million people and was reportedly granted French asylum in 2023 living near Paris since 2016.
Boukhours was allegedly abducted in the southern suburbs of Paris last April but was released the next day, according to his attorney Eric Plouvier.
He has been accused by Algerian authorities of being “a saboteur linked to terrorist groups” in claims Boukhours has denied.
Plouvier told news media that his client had previously been “the subject of two serious attacks” in 2022 and the night of April 29, 2024, when he was forced into a car with flashing lights by “fake police officers,” according to French media, only to be released the next day without explanation.
Boukhours claimed he was drugged and kept in a container for more than 24 hours.
“I fell into a trap,” he previously said.
Meanwhile, the Algerian foriegn ministry stated it summoned France’s ambassador to Algeria Stephane Romatet in order to “express its strong protest” as Algeria called for the immediate release of its three detained officials.
“This new development is unacceptable and unspeakable and will cause great damage to Algerian-French relations,” the ministry wrote in a statement.
It arrived on top of Barrot’s official April 6 visit to Algeria where he said he had eyes for a “new phase” in diplomatic relations between the two countries.
France and Algeria have a long and complicated relationship due to their former colonial ties which ended with full independence for the north African nation in 1962 during the Kennedy administration.
Algeria recalled its ambassador from Paris last year after a territory dispute in the western Sahara with Morocco backed by France.
Last month, France threatened to retaliate after Algeria refused to accept nearly 60 Algerian deportees.
