Diplomatic tensions between Algeria and Morocco have reached a new chapter. On Thursday, March 27, 2025, Algerian authorities summoned Khalil Cheihani, the chargé d'affaires of the Moroccan Consulate General. During this meeting, Mokhtar Amine Khalif, the Director General of Consular Affairs, informed him of the decision to expel Mohammed Soufiani, the Deputy Consul General of Morocco in Oran. Considered persona non grata in Algeria, the Moroccan diplomat has been ordered to leave Algerian territory within 48 hours. According to Algiers, this decision follows "unlawful actions" deemed contrary to the exercise of his consular duties and in violation of Algerian laws. The authorities also mention a failure to respect diplomatic conventions and practices, notably the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. This expulsion is another chapter in the strained relations between the two neighbors, which have seen their diplomatic ties cut since lready strained by August 2021.
