Algeria has expelled 12 French embassy staff in retaliation for charges filed against an Algerian diplomat on Friday. He is accused of abducting an Algerian political dissident, with two other Algerians.
Amir Boukhors, an outspoken critic of the Algerian government, was granted asylum in France in 2023. Last year he was allegedly abducted by a number of people, including the embassy official, but was released the following day.
Algiers said that the charging of the embassy official was a “flagrant contravention of the immunities and privileges” which diplomats normally have in foreign countries.
This is the largest single expulsion of French embassy staff from Algeria since the early 1960s.
Tensions have been high between France and Algeria for some time now, but there had been hope that a rapprochement was close, following phone calls between the two countries’ leaders, as well as a visit to Algeria by the French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot. However, the latest move seems to have put paid to this initiative.
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