Algeria expelled 15 French diplomatic agents this week, plunging relations between the two nations to their lowest point in years and reopening wounds in a relationship scarred by colonial trauma, competing regional ambitions, and the unresolved quest for genuine decolonisation
On May 12, Algeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the French chargé d’affaires in Algiers with a clear message: 15 French officials must leave for holding “irregular positions”—diplomatic language often used to identify suspected intelligence operatives.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot immediately condemned the decision as “unjustified,” vowing an immediate and proportionate response.
“We will respond immediately and in a strong and proportionate manner,” Barrot declared during a visit to Normandy, employing rhetoric that many Algerian commentators view as reflecting France’s continued colonial mindset.
The current tensions cannot be understood without acknowledging the brutal 132-year French colonisation of Algeria (1830-1962) and the bloody eight-year independence war that claimed over one million Algerian lives.
While France has taken modest steps toward acknowledging colonial atrocities, it has refused the formal apology and reparations that many Algerians see as prerequisites for genuine reconciliation.
“The French still operate under the illusion that they have a special right to influence Algerian affairs,” explains Dr. Amina Messaoudene, professor of post-colonial studies at the University of Algiers. “What they call diplomacy, we experience as ongoing neo-colonialism.”
French President Emmanuel Macron’s 2021 admission that the Algerian War involved “inexcusable crimes” initially signalled progress, but his subsequent decision to restrict visa access for North Africans and comments questioning the existence of an Algerian nation before French colonisation reignited hostilities.
The current diplomatic meltdown gained momentum when France shifted its position on Western Sahara in 2023, supporting Morocco’s autonomy plan over the United Nations-backed referendum process—a move Algeria views as a betrayal of international law and self-determination principles.
“France’s Western Sahara stance represents a fundamental realignment of North African geopolitics,” notes Ibrahim Touré, researcher at the Pan-African Centre for Strategic Studies in Dakar. “Algeria, as the primary supporter of the Polisario Front and Sahrawi self-determination, sees this as France choosing Morocco in a zero-sum regional competition.”
The Western Sahara issue—Africa’s longest-running territorial dispute—has particular resonance for Algerians who view their support for Sahrawi independence as an extension of their own anti-colonial struggle and pan-African solidarity.
The tit-for-tat between the nations accelerated in April when Algeria expelled 12 French embassy staff following the arrest of an Algerian consular official in Paris. The official was allegedly involved in the kidnapping of Franco-Algerian activist Amir Boukhors (Amir DZ), a vocal critic of the Algerian government.
From Algeria’s perspective, France’s protection of opposition figures represents deliberate destabilisation—similar to perceived French interference in Libya, Mali, and other former colonies. Meanwhile, France has accused Algeria of refusing to repatriate Algerian nationals expelled from France, leading to travel restrictions on Algerian diplomatic passport holders.
Further inflaming tensions, Algeria recently expelled two French intelligence agents allegedly caught using fake diplomatic passports. According to Algerian security sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, the agents were gathering intelligence on Algeria’s growing military cooperation with Russia and China—relationships developing as Algeria diversifies partnerships beyond former colonial powers.
Despite the diplomatic warfare, the economic relationship remains substantial, with trade between the two nations reaching nearly €12 billion in 2023. Approximately 6,000 French companies maintain commercial relationships with the Algerian market, creating a paradoxical situation where economic interdependence continues despite political animosity.
“The relationship perfectly illustrates the contradictions of post-colonial ties,” explains Congolese economist Dr. Jean-Paul Mwamba. “France needs Algerian natural gas and markets, while Algeria benefits from French technology and investment. Neither can fully divorce despite the political theatre.”
As both nations brace for further diplomatic fallout, many African observers see the crisis as emblematic of a broader continental struggle to redefine relationships with former colonial powers. Alternative partnerships with Russia, China, Türkiye, and Gulf states have strengthened Algeria’s position, allowing it to challenge French influence more boldly than in previous decades.
“What we’re witnessing is not just a diplomatic spat but part of Africa’s ongoing struggle for genuine sovereignty,” argues South African international relations scholar Dr. Nompumelelo Sibalukhulu. “Until European powers accept a relationship based on genuine equality rather than post-colonial privilege, these cycles of tension will continue across the continent.”
For now, with neither side showing signs of de-escalation, the Franco-Algerian relationship appears trapped in a pattern of retribution rooted in historical grievances and contemporary competition—a dynamic that echoes in many African nations’ complex relationships with their former colonisers.
