France expels 12 Algerian officials in tit-for-tat move amid diplomatic tensions
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France and Algeria Expel Diplomats in Escalating Crisis
Above: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (L) meets with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (R) in Algiers, Algeria on April 6, 2025 Image copyright: Algerian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
The Algerian consular official's arrest is as much proof of France's deliberate intention to disrupt bilateral relations as the former colonial power's support for Morocco's Western Sahara plans. However, Algeria is a sovereign nation and will continue to resolutely defend its dignity.
Narrative B
France must defend its sovereign interests and prevent the country from becoming a playground for foreign security services, particularly given Algeria's seeming involvement in the kidnapping of a political refugee on French soil and its refusal to cooperate on critical security matters.