Algeria calls on African Sahel countries to face threats using internal capabilities 

Algeria has called on the African Sahel countries to achieve military cooperation that depends exclusively on the capabilities of the armies of the region, which is currently witnessing a significant French military presence.

This came in a speech delivered by Major General Mohamed Kaidi, head of the preparation department of the Algerian army, who represented Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Said Chengriha at a meeting of the chiefs of staff of the armies of the Sahel region, held on Tuesday in Mali.

The Algerian Ministry of Defence announced in a statement on Wednesday that the chiefs of staff of three countries of the region (Mali, Mauritania and Niger) also attended the meeting: “To study and evaluate the security situation in the region and exchange analyses.”

The armies of the four countries are coordinating efforts to combat terrorism and organised crime in the region, as part of the Joint Military Staff Committee (CEMOC) established in 2010.

During the meeting, Kaidi stressed: “The necessity to unify efforts within the framework of clear and overt cooperation between member states, based on the exchange of information and coordination of actions on both sides of the border, depending first and foremost on internal capabilities and means.”

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He also affirmed his country’s keenness to maintain cooperation within the group of countries: “To freely exchange analyses and opinions on issues related to the security of our region.”

Algeria is the only country among the Sahel region countries that refused to join the counter-terrorism coalition established by France in 2017, which includes Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Chad and Burkina Faso.

Over the years, Algeria has been reiterating the importance of rejecting any foreign military intervention to confront the region’s security crises.

During a visit of the Mauritanian Chief of Staff Mohamed Bemba Muqit to Algeria in early January, Chengriha highlighted: “The importance of making use of the available security cooperation mechanisms, especially CEMOC,” based in Tamanrasset in Algeria’s south.

The Algerian official identified the nature of this cooperation as: “Exchanging information and coordinating actions on both sides of the shared borders of member states.”

In early 2013, France launched Operation Serval to counter terrorist groups’ activities on the African coast, and in 2014 initiated the still-ongoing Operation Barkhane, by deploying nearly 5,000 soldiers to clear the area.