France Considers Response After Algeria Expels 12 Embassy Staff
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Loading... - Amara Zara
- 14 Apr 2025
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France is currently evaluating its response following Algeria's decision to expel 12 staff members from its embassy. This move comes in the wake of the arrest of an Algerian consular official in Paris, who is alleged to have been involved in the kidnapping of TikTok influencer Amir Boukhors.
Algeria has given the French representatives 48 hours to leave the country, a decision that has further strained the already tense relations between the two nations. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has indicated that if the expulsions proceed, France will be compelled to respond immediately.
Amir Boukhors, a 41-year-old influencer known as Amir DZ, is a vocal critic of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and has amassed over a million followers on TikTok. He has been living in France since 2016 and was granted political asylum in 2023. Algeria has issued nine international arrest warrants against him on charges of fraud and terrorism, but France has refused to extradite him.
In April 2024, Boukhors was reportedly kidnapped outside his home in Val-de-Marne, south of Paris. He recounted that he was handcuffed and forced into a car by four men wearing police armbands, claiming he was drugged and held in a container for over 24 hours before being released. Following this incident, three men were arrested, one of whom is confirmed to work for the Algerian consulate in Créteil, southeast of Paris.
The expulsion of French embassy staff comes shortly after Barrot's official visit to Algeria, where he met with President Tebboune. Barrot has urged Algerian authorities to reconsider the expulsion measures, stating they are unrelated to the ongoing legal case involving Boukhors. He emphasized that if the decision stands, France will have no choice but to respond.
Reports indicate that among those ordered to leave are several members associated with France’s interior ministry, whose minister, Bruno Retailleau, has taken a firm stance against Algeria. Relations between Paris and Algiers have been fraught since last July, when France supported a Moroccan plan for autonomy in Western Sahara, a move opposed by Algeria.
Additionally, France has accused Algeria of failing to repatriate its nationals deemed security threats and has threatened to reduce the number of visas issued to Algerians. President Emmanuel Macron has also called for the release of writer Boualem Sansal, who is serving a five-year sentence for "undermining the integrity" of Algeria.
In response to the arrest of the consular official, Algeria has summoned France’s ambassador, Stéphane Romatet, to express its dissatisfaction with the manner of the arrest, which occurred "in the public street" without prior notification through diplomatic channels. The Algerian foreign ministry condemned the incident as "unacceptable" and warned that it would have significant repercussions for Algerian-French relations.
