Algeria and Mauritania military leaders meet amid Sahel security concerns

Algeria’s Lieutenant General Saïd Chengriha made a visit to Mauritania this week, meeting with Lieutenant General Mokhtar Bellah Chaabane yesterday to discuss regional security cooperation. The visit, the first of its kind by an Algerian military official at this rank, comes as both countries face increasing security threats from the Sahel region.

The two military leaders discussed shared concerns about terrorism, smuggling, and illegal migration across the porous 460-kilometre border between their countries. According to the Algerian Ministry of National Defence, the discussions focused on “various security challenges confronting the region and the world,” with both sides expressing a desire to strengthen bilateral military cooperation.

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Strengthening #Military Ties: General #Chanegriha Meets Mauritanian Chief of Staff https://t.co/hMETrLkKGF pic.twitter.com/5hUjFXlbP7

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Chengriha’s visit follows recent tensions stemming from Algeria’s concerns about Mauritania’s military ties with NATO. Despite this, both leaders expressed optimism about renewed cooperation.

A Mauritanian official was quoted as saying that “the Algerian-Mauritanian military talks are important in terms of the military and security challenges that Algeria is experiencing, especially after the tension that occurred between Algiers and the new rulers of Mali as well as the rulers of Niger, as Algeria has no gateway to the region other than Tunisia.”

The Sahel region, plagued by extremist groups and criminal gangs, has exacerbated instability in neighbouring countries like Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, where military juntas have taken power. Algeria has struggled to maintain influence in these countries, with Mali terminating the 2015 Algerian Accords with northern separatist groups in August.

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