France says it will expel 12 Algerian agents, will recall ambassador

Paris: France will expel 12 agents serving in the Algerian consular and diplomatic network in France and will recall its ambassador to Algiers for consultations, the French presidency said on Tuesday.

The move comes after Algeria protested France's detention of an Algerian consular agent suspected of involvement in the kidnapping of an Algerian opposition activist. France later said Algeria had expelled 12 of its diplomatic staff.

France's relations with Algeria, a former colony, have long been complicated, but took a turn for the worse last year when President Emmanuel Macron supported Morocco's position over that of Algeria over the disputed Western Sahara region.

But only last week, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had said that ties between the two countries were returning to normal.