Bechar, Algeria – A high-level ministerial delegation is scheduled to visit Bechar today to assess preparations for a major event marking the commencement of iron ore exploitation from the Gara Djebilet mine in Tindouf. The event, slated for early next year, follows directives from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
President Tebboune previously announced his intention to attend a “historic ceremony” in Bechar to celebrate the arrival of iron extracted from Gara Djebilet via the newly constructed Tindouf-Bechar mining railway – a first since Algeria’s independence. He emphasized this during a working visit to Constantine in late November.
The ministerial delegation will focus on the ongoing preparations for this significant event, particularly the progress of the massive Gara Djebilet project and associated railway infrastructure, designed to benefit both industrial transport and passenger services.
The new railway line, spanning approximately 1,000 kilometers, was completed in just eighteen months, as highlighted by President Tebboune. He also announced plans for another line to transport phosphates to Annaba.
During a cabinet meeting last month, President Tebboune, after reviewing progress on the Gara Djebilet mine and the Tindouf-Bechar railway, ordered the “initiation of local use and exploitation of iron ore extracted from the Gara Djebilet mine, starting in the first quarter of 2026.” He stated that this milestone will be “the first of its kind in Algeria’s history since independence, signaling a strong message of a new Algerian direction that reinforces the principle of economic sovereignty and diversification of the country’s resources away from hydrocarbons.”
The Gara Djebilet iron ore mine is considered one of the largest open-pit mines in the world, boasting estimated reserves of approximately 3.5 billion tons of ore.
To facilitate the exploitation and transport of iron ore from the mine, the construction of a new 950-kilometer railway line (Bechar-Tindouf-Gara Djebilet) was undertaken, involving the creation of three major sections and connecting them to the existing Bechar-Oran line.
