France to expel 12 Algerian diplomats with escalating tensions Politics News

Paris announces the expulsion a day after Algeria requested 12 French diplomats to leave within 48 hours.

France says that it will expel 12 Algerian diplomatic staff and benchians and summon its ambassador from Algeria, deepening a crisis threatening months of the attempt to reconcile between the two countries.

The announcement comes on Tuesday, a day after Algeria’s request 12 French diplomats To leave within 48 hours.

Al -Jazira announced the expulsion operations after the French prosecutors directed three Algerian citizens, including a consular official, due to the alleged kidnapping of a prominent government critic in Paris last year.

Activist, Amir Boukhur – is known for more than a million Tijook followers as “Amir Dies” – asylum in France in 2023. He was kidnapped in a suburb of Paris in April last year and was released the next day. The French authorities said that the three suspects were also facing “terrorist” conspiracy.

Tense relationships

This is the first time that France has been holding an employee of the Algerian consulate, which represents a sharp escalation of tensions between Paris and the former French colony.

French Foreign Minister Jean -Nula Barrot said on Monday that the expulsion was directly linked to arrests.

The French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs noted that if Algeria’s move, if it was implemented, will include the first expulsion of French diplomats from the country since its independence in 1962.

Algeria, which has issued nine international arrest orders in favor of Boukhur for fraud and “terrorism”, is demanding its delivery.

The escalation comes despite the recent returns between the two countries. Just one week ago, Barrot met Algerian President Abdel -Muradad Thibbon and announced that bilateral relations had returned to normal after a period of heavy tensions.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the disputed region in Western Sahara last year sparked anger in Algeria. The prison of the French Al -Jazari writer, Balm Sansal, was added by the Algerian Court only last month to pressure with Macron calling for his release.