Algeria Plays Silent Card as AFRICOM Confirms Invitation for African Lion 2025
Rabat – Converging reports showcased Algeria's calculated silence, especially after the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed its invitation to the Algerian regime's army to participate as an observer in the African Lion 2025 military exercises.
Oualid Kebir, an Algerian analyst, confirmed the news today, sharing a response from AFRICOM about the extension of an invitation to Algeria's army to participate as an observer.
'Algeria was invited to observe the African Lion in Tunisia. We are currently working to confirm if they are going to observe the exercise,' an executive from AFRICOM confirmed to Kebir.
However, the AFRICOM officer has not provided any further details about Algeria's regime participation.
The Algerian army had been initially listed among the observers alongside Belgium, India, Qatar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of the Congo, and Equatorial Guinea.
However, a new version of the announcement that confirms the official launch of the African Lion exercises scheduled to begin on April 14 in Tunisia, shows the information removed.
The premier annual exercise on the continent will extend to May, wth activities in Ghana, Senegal, and Morocco.
Algeria's silence on its observer status invitation to the military exercise comes as it continues to publicize its long-standing public position rejecting any form of cooperation with Israel.
The Algerian regime has constantly criticized countries that have re-established ties with Israel, particularly Morocco, to frame the move as against the Palestinian cause, despite Rabat's firm stance that its policy on Palestine remains unchanged.
Algeria's rhetoric is part of its maneuvers to divert international attention and employ the issue to link the Palestinian cause with the Western Sahara dispute.
The Algerian regime has long used the Polisario Front to manipulate international sentiment by portraying the separatist leadership as a victim to undermine Morocco's territorial integrity.
However, several reports have confirmed cooperation between Algeria and Israel, particularly in trade.
A report from the Economic Complexity Observatory showed in February that Algeria is the fourth among Arab countries to export goods to Israel.
I24 News picked up the data from the observatory, noting that Algeria has been engaged in trade with Israel since at least 2017, with total exports exceeding $30 million.
'In 2017, Israel exported $7k to Algeria. There were no main exports from Israel to Algeria in 2017. During the last 9 years, the exports of Israel to Algeria have decreased at an annualized rate of 34.6%, from $320k in 2008 to $7k in 2017,' said the report.
Algeria's hypocrisy was also evident after Algeria's president Abdelmadjid Tebboune said in February that his country is willing to normalize ties with Israel upon the establishment of a Palestinian state.
'This aligns with the position of my predecessors, Presidents Chadli and Bouteflika, who had no issue with Israel,' the Algerian leader claimed.
Yet this statement starkly contradicted the Algerian regime's relentless and well-documented condemnation of Morocco and its diplomatic ties with Israel.
Upon its decision to cut ties with Morocco in 2021, Algeria's regime brought up its southern neighbor's relations with Tel Aviv and cited fears of 'Zionist spies with Moroccan passports.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Morocco World
2 hours ago
- Morocco World
Algeria's Prosecutor Requests 10-Year Prison Sentence Against Boualem Sansal
Rabat – A public prosecutor in Algeria has requested a 10-year prison sentence against French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal. AFP quoted the prosecutor, who is demanding a '10 years in prison and a fine of one million [Algerian] dinars.' The Court of Appeal will issue its verdict on the appeal case on July 1. An Algerian court initially sentenced Sansal to five years in prison in March. Police in Algeria arrested the author upon arrival in Algiers on November 16 last year. He was charged of undermining the country's territorial integrity. The arrest came after he made remarks in an interview that France unfairly ceded Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial era. Sansal appealed the court sentence, and his lawyer is not ruling out the possibility of a pardon. 'Under Article 91 of the Algerian Constitution, an appeal does not stand in the way of a presidential pardon,' he said. He also suggested that if a humanitarian release became an option, he would advise Sansal to withdraw the appeal. The arrest came amid fragile relations and escalating tensions between Algiers and Paris. In January, French President Emmanuel Macron sharply criticized Algeria for imprisoning the renowned author, denouncing the move as a 'disgrace.' Speaking before French ambassadors at the Élysée, Macron accused the Algerian authorities of denying the gravely ill author access to medical care. 'Algeria dishonors itself by preventing a gravely ill man from receiving proper care,' Macron stated. Among the factors that led to the tensions are France's decision to recognize Morocco's sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara. One of the factors is also Algeria's reluctance to receive its nationals subjected to a deportation order from Paris. Tags: algeria boualem sansalBoualem Sansal
Ya Biladi
15 hours ago
- Ya Biladi
US-Africa Business Summit in Angola excludes Polisario
The Angolan capital, Luanda, is hosting the 17th U.S.-Africa Business Summit from June 22 to 25, under the theme «Pathways to Prosperity: A Shared Vision of U.S.-Africa Partnership». Notably, the Polisario has once again been excluded from the list of invitees—an absence consistent since the summit's inception. Morocco is represented at this year's edition by Karim Zidane, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Investment, Convergence, and the Evaluation of Public Policies. In contrast, Algeria has downgraded its participation. Although Prime Minister Nadir Laarbaoui was initially expected to attend, it was ultimately the Minister of Energy and Mines, Mohamed Akrab, who led the Algerian delegation to Luanda. Beyond meetings with the European Union and Japan, the Polisario remains consistently excluded from major partnership summits between the African Union and global powers such as Russia, China, and the United States.
Morocco World
19 hours ago
- Morocco World
Algeria State Media Brands US ‘Terrorist' While Militaries Cooperate Closely
Algeria's El Chourouk newspaper has launched a blistering attack on the US, labeling America as a 'terrorist entity.' This incendiary rhetoric comes despite Algiers' deepening military cooperation with Washington. The lengthy editorial, published following recent US airstrikes on Iran, accuses Washington of serial violations of international law. It condemns America's 'imperialist arrogance' concerning Iraq and Iran while attacking the UN Security Council as a tool of Western powers. This narrative, unfolding within the opaque and highly politicized security apparatus of the Islamic Republic, shows Algeria's deepening alignment with Tehran's regional axis, a reality it seeks to obscure through diversionary attacks on the US. The piece particularly spoke about US support for Israel, framing it as evidence of America's 'Zionist-terrorist' alliance. Yet, this vitriolic condemnation stands in stark contrast to recent actions by Algeria's own government. Just months before the article's publication, Algerian Ambassador to Washington Sabri Boukadoum told US media that security cooperation between the two countries had 'no limits,' enthusiastically stating: 'The sky is the limit for our partnership.' Algerian political analyst Oualid Kebir has sharply criticized this flagrant contradiction, calling Algeria 'the largest rogue state in contemporary history,' in a post on X. 'This is textbook hypocrisy,' Kebir added. 'When you call your military partner a 'terrorist entity' while conducting joint exercises and sharing intelligence, you completely undermine your credibility on the international stage.' While Algeria's state media hysterically denounces the US as a 'terrorist state,' its regime shamelessly bankrolls and arms the Polisario Front, the separatist group in Western Sahara that has been repeatedly drawn alarm on the international stage for its acts of terrorism. This glaring hypocrisy shows Algiers' true agenda which is to destabilize North Africa through proxy militias while posing as an anti-imperialist champion. Even as Algeria lectures about 'international law,' it violates every principle by sheltering the Polisario, which embezzles vital humanitarian aid to the Tindouf camp refugees to maintain its anti-Morocco agenda. Tags: AlgeriatebbouneterrorismUS
