Algerian authorities announced on Tuesday the expulsion of 12 French diplomats from the country, marking a new escalation in the increasingly strained relations between the two nations.

According to informed diplomatic sources, Algeria officially notified the French embassy of the expulsion decision and granted the diplomats a maximum of 48 hours to leave the country. No official explanation has been provided for the move.

This development comes amid a series of political and diplomatic disagreements between Algiers and Paris, involving issues related to security cooperation, migration, and the historical memory of French colonial rule in Algeria.

The French government has yet to issue an official statement on the decision at the time of writing, while political sources speculate that bilateral relations may further deteriorate in the coming days unless diplomatic efforts are made to defuse the crisis.