Paris said on Monday, April 14th, that Algiers has threatened to declare 12 French diplomats personae non gratae in retaliation for the detention of an Algerian consular agent last week, suspected of being involved in the kidnapping of an Algerian national in 2024.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a statement that the Algerian authorities are demanding that “12 of our agents leave Algerian territory within 48 hours.” The foreign minister added:
“If the decision to expel our agents is maintained, we will have no choice but to respond immediately.”
As we have reported, Franco-Algerian relations have been tense for some time, in particular as Algerian authorities systematically refuse to take back their nationals deported from France. Another incident that exacerbated diplomatic tensions is the recent jailing of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who, following an unfair trial, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.
europeanconservative.com / Reuters
