Algeria organises military parade on independence anniversary

Algerian Air Forces perform during the celebration of the independence anniversary of Algeria in Algiers, Algeria on July 05, 2022 [Algerian Presidency/Anadolu Agency]

Military parade during the celebration of the independence anniversary of Algeria in Algiers, Algeria on July 05, 2022 [Algerian Presidency/Anadolu Agency]

Military parade during the celebration of the independence anniversary of Algeria in Algiers, Algeria on July 05, 2022 [Algerian Presidency/Anadolu Agency]

Military parade during the celebration of the independence anniversary of Algeria in Algiers, Algeria on July 05, 2022 [Algerian Presidency/Anadolu Agency]

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (L) and Chief of the General Staff of Algeria Said Shankariha (R) salute the Algerian Army during the military parade in the celebration of the independence anniversary of Algeria in Algiers, Algeria on July 05, 2022 [Algerian Presidency/Anadolu Agency]

Military parade during the celebration of the independence anniversary of Algeria in Algiers, Algeria on July 05, 2022 [Algerian Presidency/Anadolu Agency]

Algeria organised a military parade in the capital Algiers on Tuesday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the country’s independence from France. The parade was the first of its kind for thirty-three years.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune started the parade in the presence of heads of state such as Tunisian President Kais Saied; the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas; and the presidents of Ethiopia, Niger and the Republic of Congo, Sahle-Work Zewde, Mohamed Bazoum and Denis Sassou Nguesso respectively. Also in attendance were the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh; the Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali; and the President of the Italian Senate, Maria Elisabetta Casellati. They were joined by Turkey’s Minister of Sports Mehmet Kasapoglu; Libya’s Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush, and the UAE Minister of Tolerance, Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan.

The parade lasted nearly two hours. An air force fly past also took place, while warships and submarines sat in formation off the Algerian coast.

In a remarkable show of force, land forces were reviewed and members of Algeria’s Special Forces made parachute jumps. Advanced military technology was also on display. In a special acknowledgement of the fighters who took part in the war of independence, there was a display by soldiers wearing period uniforms and carrying 1950s weapons.

“These moments carry deep significance, and the Algerian people are now seeing the professionalism and control of military technology and science that our esteemed army has achieved,” said President Tebboune. “All of us, regardless of our positions and levels of responsibilities, are invited, in these challenging times, to contribute to the consolidation of the pillars of the state of institutions, rights and law.”

According to security expert Ben Omar Benjana, “This military parade was very important because it indicated the power of the state and sent a message to everyone in Algeria and beyond that the Algerian armed forces are ready to deter all attacks against the nation regardless of their form.”

The Algerian War of Independence took place between 1954 and 1962 and ended 130 years of French colonial occupation. The Algerian authorities estimate that more than five million martyrs were killed during the colonial period as France looted the country’s resources and attempted to obliterate its national identity.

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