Algiers (TDI): Algeria has ordered 12 French embassy officials to leave the country within 48 hours, escalating a diplomatic rift linked to the alleged abduction of an exiled Algerian influencer in France.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed the expulsions on Monday, urging Algerian authorities to reverse the decision or face retaliatory measures.
“If the decision to send back our officials is maintained, we will have no other choice but to respond immediately,” Barrot said in a statement.
The expelled personnel include several from France’s interior ministry, according to AFP.
The move follows France’s indictment on Friday of 3 Algerian citizens, including a consular official, over their suspected role in the abduction of influencer Amir Boukhors—widely known online as “Amir DZ” April 2024—from a suburb near Paris.
Boukhors, a vocal critic of the Algerian government with over a million followers on TikTok, was granted political asylum in France in 2023.
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He was reportedly kidnapped last year and released the next day.
Algeria has accused Boukhors of fraud and terrorism, issuing 9 international arrest warrants against him and demanding his return for trial.
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Algeria has described the indictments as a politically motivated attempt to undermine recent efforts to rebuild relations with its former colonial ruler.
