Algeria asked 12 French embassy staff to leave the country within 48 hours, the French foreign minister said.
Jean-Noel Barrot added that it was linked to the charges of three Algerians in France on Friday.
They were accused of being involved in the abduction of Amir Boucauz, 41, last year, and are critics of the Algerian government of a large number of social media who reportedly were granted exile in France in 2023.
Barott urged Algeria to “relinquish” its expulsion, saying that if France moves ahead, it is ready to “respond quickly.”
Boukhors, also known as Amir DZ, has been living in France since 2016 and reportedly granted political asylum in 2023.
He was accused of in the southern suburbs of Paris in April 2024 and released the following day, according to his lawyer, Eric Poubier.
Plouvier told AFP that Boukhors was “one in 2022 to be the subject of two serious attacks in the evening of April 29, 2024.”
French media reported that he was forced into a car with flashing light by a “fake police officer,” then released the next day without explanation.
“Algeria has issued nine international arrest warrants against him, denounced him for his fraud and ties with terrorist organizations.”
He denies the allegation. In 2022, a French court refused to give him extradition.
The incident is the latest on the rise in cases that have exacerbated the rift between France and Algeria.
They include the Algerian arrest and imprisonment of Boualem Sansal, a French-Algerian author who was accused of undermining the integrity of Algeria’s territory.
Algeria recalled an ambassador from Paris last year after France supported Morocco’s claims about conflict zones in Western Sahara.
Twelve French officials were asked to leave Monday.
On Monday, Barott said: “I am asking Algerian authorities to abandon these expulsion measures… If the decision to send the authorities back is maintained, there is no choice but to respond immediately.”
Barott argued that the expulsion was a response to the charges of three Algerians in Paris on Friday.
Algerian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned French ambassador Stephen Romatet in response to “strong protests,” and called for the immediate release of the authorities, according to the official Algerian news agency.
It added that the individual was “arrested in public and detained without notice through diplomatic channels.”
The ministry argued that the move “is not a coincidence as it occurs in a very specific context with the aim of blocking the process of resuming bilateral relations.”
A call between French President Emmanuel Macron and President Abdelmazid-Teven in March led to temporary measures being taken to repair relations between the two countries.
“The two presidents have made a long, open and friendly exchange of bilateral relations and the tensions that have been developed over the past few months,” the joint statement read.
After an official visit to Algeria on April 6th and meeting with Tevn, Barot said he wanted a “new stage” in the relationship.
