By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Algeria has given 12 French embassy staff a 48-hour ultimatum to leave the country, France’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, has said.
Barrot stated that the move is linked to the indictment of three Algerians in France on Friday, one of whom is a consular official.
The Algerian nationals are alleged to have been involved in the abduction of Amir Boukhors, 41, a vocal critic of the Algerian government who has over one million followers online. He was reportedly granted asylum in France in 2023 following alleged threats from Algerian authorities.
The French foreign minister urged Algeria to “abandon” the planned expulsion of its nationals, warning that France was prepared to “respond immediately” if its citizens were expelled.
“I am asking Algerian authorities to abandon these expulsion measures… if the decision to send back our officials is maintained, we will have no other choice but to respond immediately,” Barrot said on Monday.
The 12 French officials asked to leave include some members of the French Interior Ministry, AFP quoted a diplomatic source as saying.
Boukhors, better known as Amir DZ, has lived in France since 2016. He was abducted in April 2024 in the southern suburbs of Paris and released the following day, his lawyer, Eric Plouvier, said.
He had reportedly been “the subject of two serious attacks, one in 2022 and another on the evening of 29 April 2024”, his lawyer added.
Local media reported that Boukhors was forced into a car with a flashing light by “fake police officers”, and later released without explanation.
Algeria accuses Boukhors of being “a saboteur linked to terrorist groups”.
The North African country has issued nine international arrest warrants against him, accusing him of fraud and association with terrorist organisations, allegations he denies.
In 2022, French courts rejected attempts to extradite him to Algeria for prosecution.
The case is the latest in a growing number of incidents that have deepened the rift between France and Algeria.
Algeria recalled its ambassador from Paris last year after France backed Morocco’s claim to ownership of the disputed Western Sahara territory.
