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Algeria has ordered the expulsion of 12 French consular staff in what analysts are calling a major blow to efforts aimed at mending fractured ties between the two countries.
The decision comes in retaliation for the recent arrest of an Algerian consular official in France, accused—along with two others—of involvement in the abduction of an opposition figure near Paris last year. Algiers has condemned the move, claiming it violates the diplomatic immunity afforded to the official.
State news agency APS described the arrest as “a flagrant contravention” of diplomatic norms and suggested it was designed to derail improving relations. “This unprecedented judicial incident… has not come about by chance,” APS reported, adding that it seeks to “scupper the relaunch of bilateral relations” recently set in motion by the two presidents.
Signs of reconciliation had emerged in recent weeks. A late March phone call between President Emmanuel Macron and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune appeared to thaw tensions, followed by a diplomatic visit to Algiers by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. But the mass expulsion—the largest since Algeria’s independence in 1962—suggests a renewed hardening of Algerian attitudes.
Political observers say the latest fallout is less about Macron and more about Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, a right-wing figure known for his tough rhetoric on immigration and Algeria. Algiers sees Retailleau as the driving force behind the arrest and an obstacle to Macron’s more conciliatory stance.
Tellingly, several of the expelled French officials are linked to the interior ministry, highlighting the personal nature of Algeria’s response.
The diplomatic rupture follows months of strain over deportation disagreements, cyber propaganda, and the strategic realignment by France last year when Macron publicly favored Morocco, Algeria’s regional rival.
A particular low point came with the arrest of 80-year-old writer Boualem Sansal in Algiers last November. Recently sentenced to five years for alleged crimes against state security, Sansal had been the focus of hopes for a humanitarian release—hopes now fading amid the renewed escalation.
With trade and security cooperation continuing to suffer, the latest spat signals a deeper geopolitical rift, as Algerian leadership pushes back against what it sees as undue influence from France’s political right and far-right.
