France warns of retaliation over Algeria diplomatic row

France has warned it will take swift action if Algeria follows through on threats to expel 12 French diplomats, as tensions between the two countries resurface.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Monday that Algeria had demanded 12 French diplomatic staff leave the country within 48 hours, following a dispute over the detention of an Algerian consular official in France.

The diplomat is reportedly under investigation, along with two others, for alleged involvement in the kidnapping of Algerian opposition figure Amir Boukhors. Algeria lodged a formal protest over the weekend in response.

“If Algeria goes ahead with the expulsion of our personnel, we will have no choice but to respond immediately,” Barrot said in an official statement.

Algeria has not yet confirmed whether it will proceed with the expulsions.

Relations between France and Algeria — once a French colony — have long been uneasy. They worsened last year after President Emmanuel Macron openly backed Morocco’s position on the contested Western Sahara region, a move that angered Algerian authorities.

Ironically, only last week Barrot had suggested that relations were improving, following a diplomatic visit to Algiers.

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