France expels Algerian diplomats in tit-for-tat move as feud deepens
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France urges Algerian authorities to act responsibly and re-engage in the “demanding and constructive dialogue.”
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Algeria's flags fly on April 16, 2025, in Algiers, Algeria (AP)
France announced on Wednesday that it will expel Algerian diplomats in retaliation for Algeria’s recent decision to expel 15 French officials, further intensifying tensions between the two countries.
In a statement, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said Algerian representatives had been summoned and informed of the move, which it described as an act of “strict reciprocity".
While France did not specify the number of Algerian diplomats affected, it urged Algerian authorities to act responsibly and re-engage in the “demanding and constructive dialogue” previously initiated by both sides.
“The Algerians wanted to send back our agents; we are sending theirs back,” French Foreign Minister Noël Barrot told broadcaster BFMTV.
Diplomatic fallout undermines longstanding ties
The latest diplomatic expulsions mark a further decline in France-Algeria relations, undermining a 2013 agreement that allowed diplomatic passport holders to travel visa-free between the two nations.
Algeria said it expelled French diplomats on Sunday due to procedural violations, including France’s handling of replacements for officials previously expelled last month.
While France and Algeria maintain economic ties and cooperate on security, the relationship between the two countries has been marked by tension.
Algeria gained independence from France in 1962 following a violent war of liberation in which tens of thousands of Algerians were killed by French colonial troops.
Tensions escalated further last year when France shifted its stance to support Morocco’s sovereignty claim over Western Sahara—a move Algeria fiercely opposes, as it backs the Polisario Front’s pro-independence efforts in what it considers Africa’s last colony.
These growing rifts now threaten over $12 billion in annual trade and complicate travel for the large Algerian diaspora in France, many of whom regularly move between the two countries.
