By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The foreign ministry in France on Wednesday summoned a senior Algerian diplomat, informing him that Paris was expelling Algerians holding diplomatic passports without visas, in response to a decision by Algerian authorities to expel 15 French officials.
“France reserves the right to take additional measures depending on how the situation evolves,” the ministry said in a statement after summoning Algeria’s chargé d’affaires.
It remains unclear how many people were expelled. France’s ties with its former colony have in recent times deteriorated.
Tensions worsened last year when French President Emmanuel Macron backed Morocco’s claim over the disputed Western Sahara region, a development that angered Algeria.
Algeria’s press agency, APS, reported on Monday that France’s chargé d’affaires had been informed that 15 French diplomatic agents were in irregular positions and would be expelled.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told BFM television on Wednesday that ties were now “totally blocked.”
France had last month accused Algerian authorities of being responsible for “a brutal deterioration in our bilateral relations.”
Also in April, Algeria gave 12 French embassy staff a 48-hour ultimatum to leave the country, according to France’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot.
Barrot, however, urged Algeria to “abandon” the planned expulsion of its nationals, warning that France was prepared to “respond immediately” if its citizens were expelled.
