First female brigadier in Algeria army

The Algerian army has promoted a woman to the rank of brigadier for the first time in the history of the country, the Defence Ministry said in a statement yesterday.

The statement said Deputy Defence Minister and Chief of Staff of the National People’s Army, Ahmed Gaid Saleh, supervised the ceremony held at the Defence Ministry to mark the 55th anniversary of Algeria’s independence.

“The ceremony included granting medals to a number of military and civilian tiers,” it added.

According to the statement, Brigadier Fatima Budhwani of the Air Force was promoted to the rank of general in 2012 by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.