Algeria Expels 12 French Officials Amid Influencer kidnap Row

France’s foreign minister announced that Algeria has ordered 12 French officials to leave the country within 48 hours on Monday, a decision reportedly connected to the recent detention of three Algerian nationals in France.

“I am asking Algerian authorities to abandon these expulsion measures… if the decision to send back our officials is maintained, we will have no other choice but to respond immediately,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.

The relationship between the two countries has been marked by tension, as Algeria gained independence from France in 1962 following a violent war of liberation in which tens of thousands of Algerians were killed by French colonial troops. 

The 12 include some members of the French Interior Ministry, a diplomatic source told Agence France Press (AFP). On Friday, French prosecutors indicted three Algerians, including a consular official, on suspicion of involvement in the April 2024 abduction of an Algerian influencer, Amir Boukhors, in a Paris suburb.

The timing of the indictment is sensitive, as it risks straining the already fragile relationship between Algeria and its former colonial ruler. Algiers has accused France of trying to undermine recent efforts to mend diplomatic ties. Amir Boukhors, also known as “Amir DZ,” is a vocal critic of the Algerian government and has amassed over a million followers on TikTok.

Boukhors has been living in France since 2016 and was granted political asylum in 2023. His lawyer says he was kidnapped in April 2024 but released the next day. Algerian authorities are demanding his extradition to stand trial, citing nine international arrest warrants issued against him on charges of fraud and terrorism.

Deportation, sovereignty, and influence

This comes after a separate incident in March involving Algerian influencer Boualem Naman, known as “Doualemn,” who was detained in Montpellier and ordered to be deported to Algeria following a controversial TikTok video. Although France had previously attempted to deport him in January, Algeria refused to accept him, and the same happened again in March when he was briefly returned before being sent back to France the same evening. The Hérault Deportation Commission had approved his removal on March 12, and according to his lawyer, he was arrested at dawn at his daughter’s home by around twenty police officers, reportedly in front of his grandchildren.

Algeria, which supports the pro-independence Polisario Front, reacted strongly by recalling its ambassador from Paris. The Algerian Foreign Ministry criticized Macron’s stance as an unprecedented move by a French government. 

Another incident in 2024 added to the growing tension between France and Algeria, this time over the disputed region of Western Sahara. France sparked backlash when President Emmanuel Macron declared that Morocco’s proposal to grant autonomy to Western Sahara was the only solution to the long-running conflict. He made the statement in a letter to King Mohammed VI, congratulating him on 25 years of reign.