Algerian authorities have decided to expel 12 French diplomats, French media reported citing French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday.
“The Algerian authorities are demanding that 12 of our agents leave Algerian territory within 48 hours,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a statement.
According to Le Figaro, these are administrative and diplomatic staff associated with the French interior ministry. The foreign minister added that Algeria was expelling diplomats in response to the detention in France of “three Algerian citizens suspected of committing offences on French territory.” The newspaper specifies that they were detained on April 11.
As Barrot also noted, this move by Algeria will not go unanswered.
At the end of July 2024, the Algerian authorities decided to immediately recall their ambassador to France due to the fact that Paris recognised the Moroccan plan to grant autonomy to Western Sahara as the only basis for the settlement of the conflict. Algeria has for many years supported the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and independence.
On April 6, 2025, Barrot, after meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, said that France and Algeria intended to open a new chapter in bilateral relations and resume co-operation after a prolonged crisis.
The incident was another escalation in relations between the two countries, which were already strained after France recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in 2024, which displeased Algeria.
