by Jean-Jacques Cornish
Celebrating its national day Friday, Algeria is showing a new stable and well-heeled profile in relations with Africa.
July 5 is the 62nd anniversary of Algeria’s independence from France. The 135-year French rule of the oil-rich North African state ended in a bloody eight-year liberation way in which Algerians popularly say not a single family went untouched. Official figures put the death toll at more than 1-5 million
Algeria became a bastion of revolution in the sixties that hardly endeared it to the West, fighting communism in Eastern Europe and Asia at the time.
In the United Nations, Algeria was at the sharp African point opposing the apartheid regime in South Africa and supporting the liberation struggles, particularly in Africa.
It remains the strongest supporter of the Western Sahara people fighting the last colonial struggle in Africa against the illegal occupation by Morocco.
Algeria had its extremely tough time fighting an Islamist insurgency in the 80s and 90s.
Success in this operation earned it the regard of the very Western powers that criticized it two decades earlier.
Algeria has become the go-to African country in the fight against terrorism
Importantly it has overtaken Nigeria to become the third richest African country behind South Africa and Egypt.
With latest GDP figures growing to $266.7-billion from $186 billion in 2023, Algeria is expected to overtake its fellow-Arab North African country by the middle of this peace.
Being Africa’s largest gas exporter has spurred annual economic growth to 4.1%.
Algeria has three pipelines into Spain and Italy. Morocco as cut off one of these.
By year’s end it will have completed another pip[eline into Nigeria from where it will increase gas exp[orts for Europe.
A fleet of ship- carriers liquid petroleum gas from Algeria to markets around the world, including the United States.
President Abdlemadjid Tebboune, who faces an election on September 7, presides over a country barely recognizeable from the from the troubled land of 20 years ago.
He says this enables Algeria to be a key player in exporting peace and security in its neighborhood and beyond and to help in dealing with security threats in Africa and region.
Algeria has become an essential actor in Africa, involved in several mediation effort in conflict and crises.
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