The Chief of Staff of the National People’s Army, General Saïd Chanegriha, participated in the 11th International Security Conference in Moscow, Russia, via videoconference.
General Chanegriha conveyed the greetings of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his best wishes for the success of the forum in making proposals to strengthen peace and security.
In his speech, the Chief of Staff said that Africa is seeking to complete the decolonization of the last colony in Africa, Western Sahara, a founding member of the African Union, and to face crises proactively in the region with African solutions to problems.
General Chanegriha stressed that the complex situation in the Sahel region is a direct result of the negative effects of foreign interventions, the Libyan crisis since 2011, and the worrying development of the armed conflict in Sudan since April 2023, saying: “The armed conflict in Sudan will have regional repercussions that could complicate the instability in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.”
He added: “The political deadlock in Libya is a source of concern for the people of the region, who hope that their brothers in Libya will reach a political consensus through a comprehensive national reconciliation and democratic elections.”
General Chanegriha called for the need to return to the national constitutional logic in Niger, adding: “We believe in the institutional principles of the African Union and respect for international law, which calls for the need to return to the national constitutional logic in Niger as soon as possible, away from foreign interventions that will create more instability in the region.”
The Chief of Staff pointed out that Algeria is always striving to contribute to resolving conflicts peacefully and respecting the rules of international law, and it also contributes with a realistic and forward-looking approach based on the triad of security, peace and development, saying: “President Tebboune, in his capacity as the Special Rapporteur for the fight against terrorism and extremism in the African Union, proposed a roadmap to eradicate terrorism through the operation of African common work institutions.”
He continued: “President Tebboune also proposed the establishment of the African Counter-Terrorism Fund and the creation of an African list of persons to be monitored in the framework of the fight against the scourge, which are all initiatives to combat threats.”
General Chanegriha explained that the Algerian approach includes contributing to building the development capacities of countries by allocating one billion dollars to finance projects for human development in the continent and contributing with bilateral and collective appropriations to building the foundations of African integration, adding: “Algeria believes that the time has come for the international community to realize the importance of maintaining international peace and security by seriously addressing the causes of the crisis and feeding the instability that causes international and regional insecurity.”
The speaker also stressed that the African continent is facing challenges of varying degrees of severity and complexity, and diverse in terms of the nature of their sources and actors, saying: “The internal crisis, even civil wars, and direct and indirect foreign interventions are increasing, and the intensity of strategic competition between the major powers over natural, mineral and energy resources for positioning in the continent is increasing.”
He added: “A number of countries are still in crises marked by a lack of institutional stability and identity crises, which has produced the fragility of some of their countries and the weakness of national capabilities in the fields of security and defense, and the threats of terrorism and related crimes are increasing, and the continent has become a first front for terrorism with more than half of the victims of terrorism in the world, and the Sahel region is competing in it. The terrorist actors of the two groups, the leaders and the Islamic States, which are fed by the instability of states and their weakness and are funded by their links to organized crime.”
In the same context, General Chanegriha said that the African Union had to adopt a continental architecture for peace and security, and the countries adopted multidimensional approaches, including military and security, which represent a major axis for dealing with these threats that pose a danger to the existence of some countries and their pillars, adding: “These strategies are based on ensuring border security and the national patch and proactive and preventive dealing with threats through raising levels of vigilance and enhancing security coverage for the entire region, including the remote and isolated.”
He continued: “This requires significant financial and material allocations and trained and qualified human resources, and the Joint Operational Staff Committee, which includes Algeria, Niger, Mali and Mauritania, is a model for building common security in a sovereign and solidarity zone that aims to combat terrorism, ensure border security, and create the conditions for the stability of states.”
The Chief of Staff confirmed that the North African region is affected by the unstable situation in the Middle East, and the first is the Palestinian issue, which remains a source of concern and concern for the international community, especially with regard to blocking all international political initiatives and depriving the
