One week. That is how long the diplomatic thaw between France and Algeria lasted after eight months of intense crisis. Seven days after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot visited Algiers on a "calming" trip, the Algerian authorities "requested" 12 agents from the French embassy to "leave Algerian territory within 48 hours," the minister said on Sunday, April 13.

This wave of expulsions, the minister explained, was "a response" to the detention in France on Saturday of three individuals, including an agent from the consulate of Algeria in the Paris suburb of Créteil, as part of the investigation into the April 2024 kidnapping of influencer Amir Boukhors, known as "Amir DZ." Describing Algiers' response as "unjustified," Barrot "requested" the Algerian government to "refrain from these expulsion measures unrelated to the ongoing proceedings," warning that otherwise, France would have "no choice but to respond immediately." As of Monday morning, Algiers had not officially confirmed its decision to expel the French agents.

Thus, the crisis has reignited between Paris and Algiers, reversing the recent trend toward de-escalation symbolized by the French foreign minister's visit. It confirmed the cyclical nature of a relationship alternating between warm and cold.

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