Algeria recalled its ambassador from France for consultations, the presidency said on Saturday, amid mounting diplomatic tensions with Paris.

Iran PressAfrica: On Thursday, the government said it summoned the French ambassador to Algiers after Paris decided to slash the number of visas it issues to nationals of Algeria and other countries in North Africa’s Maghreb region.

Algeria's foreign ministry described the move, which France said was in response to the Maghreb governments' refusal to take back illegal migrants sent home by Paris, as a "unilateral decision of the French government".

The move came after French President Emmanuel Macron made critical remarks about Algeria, published in French daily Le Monde, in which he said the former French colony was ruled by a "political-military system".

The Algerian War of Independence lasted from 1954 to 1962, leaving more than 1.5 million people dead and accompanied by a severe crackdown on independence seekers. 219