France will expel Algerian diplomats in retaliation for Algiers' decision to order additional French officials out of the country, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Wednesday, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two nations.
The diplomatic standoff between France, Algeria’s former colonial ruler, and Africa’s largest country by land area has worsened in recent months amid a series of disputes. Barrot told broadcaster BFMTV that Algeria’s chargé d’affaires would be summoned to be informed of the expulsion, calling the move "perfectly proportionate" to Algeria’s earlier decision, which he labeled "unjustified and unjustifiable."
A Cycle of Diplomatic Retaliations
The latest friction follows Algeria’s move on Sunday to notify France’s chargé d’affaires in Algiers of the expulsion of French officials assigned to temporary missions. Barrot had already warned Monday that France would react "immediately and firmly."
This confrontation follows a similar exchange in April, when France expelled 12 Algerian diplomats and recalled its ambassador after Algeria ordered out an equal number of French officials—a response to France’s arrest of an Algerian national on its soil.
Relations have been fraught since last year, when France officially recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the contested Western Sahara, a region where Algeria backs the pro-independence Polisario Front. Tensions flared again in November when Algeria jailed French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal on national security charges.
Underlying these disputes is the enduring legacy of Algeria’s bloody 1954-1962 war of independence from France, which continues to influence diplomatic relations. Barrot conceded Wednesday that ties between the two nations are now "totally blocked."