"France reserves the right to take additional measures depending on how the situation evolves," the ministry said in a statement after summoning Algeria's Charge D'affaires

It did not say how many people were expelled.

France's ties with its former colony have long been complicated, but took a turn for the worse last year when France President Emmanuel Macron angered Algeria by backing Morocco’s position over the disputed Western Sahara region.

There had been a short-lived thaw in tensions in April after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visited Algiers, but a week later tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions once again strained ties.

Algeria's press agency APS reported on Monday that France’s charge d'affaires had been informed that 15 French diplomatic agents were in irregular positions and would be expelled. 

Barrot told BFM television on Wednesday that ties were now "totally blocked." 

--Reuters--