Algeria orders 12 French embassy employees to depart the country
Algeria has ordered 12 French Embassy employees to depart the country as Algerian-French relations deteriorate.
As reported by AL24 News on April 15th, Algeria has ordered the employees to leave after being declared persona non grata in a retaliatory move from Algeria following France’s arrest of an Algerian consular representative.
The source which appears to be unnamed by AL24 News, explained the decision “comes in response to the public, theatrical, and defamatory arrest carried out on April 8, 2025, by agencies under the French Ministry of the Interior, targeting a consular employee of a sovereign state accredited in France.” The source also said that “this disgraceful act—intended by the French Minister of the Interior as an affront to Algeria—was executed in blatant disregard for the consular status of the employee, with no respect for diplomatic norms and conventions, and in clear violation of the relevant agreements and treaties.”
Algeria has accused France of encroaching on their sovereignty and has said that France’s move also demonstrates the continued disrespect from the French Minister of the Interior towards Algeria.
Algeria has affirmed that “any further action by the French Minister of the Interior that infringes upon its sovereignty will be met with a firm and appropriate response, based on the principle of reciprocity.”
Maghrebi via The New Arab and agencies reported on April 14th that an Algerian consular official was arrested alongside two other men on suspicion of being involved in the kidnapping of an Algerian influencer living in a Paris suburb.
Amir Boukhors, known as “Amir DZ”, had over one million Tiktok followers and was in opposition to the Algerian government. It is believed he was granted asylum in France in 2023.
DZ’s lawyer has claimed that the consular status of one of the kidnappers suggests they did not act on their own volition but must have been instructed by the Algerian government, The European Conservative reported on April 14th.
“A foreign power, Algeria, did not hesitate to carry out violent action on French soil through intimidation and terror likely to endanger life,” according to the lawyer.
This latest diplomatic row comes at a time where hope for diplomatic reconciliation seemed likely. Maghrebi reported on April 1st that French President Emmanual Macron and his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjij Tebboune, had confirmed a normalisation of relations following months of tension.
AL24 News, Maghrebi, The European Conservative
