Algeria – AN-africa
Algeria’s two parliamentary chambers are meeting on Sunday to discuss approval for the deployment of units of the People’s National Army abroad, in a move governed by constitutional provisions regulating the deployment of the armed forces beyond the country’s borders.
The framework document submitted to lawmakers points to the need to keep pace with regional and security developments amid expanding cross-border threats, rising conflicts in the Sahel and across Africa, and the spread of terrorism, organized crime, and arms and drug trafficking.
According to reports in local media citing parliamentary sources, Ahmed Attaf, Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs, is expected to attend the session as the government’s representative.
The document distributed to parliamentary group leaders outlines the constitutional and legal framework for the move, the safeguards governing it, and the strategic and security considerations underpinning it.
Article 91, paragraph 2, of the Algerian Constitution stipulates that the President of the Republic may decide to deploy units of the People’s National Army abroad after obtaining the approval of Parliament by a two-thirds majority of the members of each chamber. The President is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and is responsible for national defence.
Article 30 of the Constitution also defines the army’s mission as safeguarding the country’s independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, protecting its land, airspace and maritime areas, and defending its vital and strategic interests.
The framework document stresses the need to comply with constitutional safeguards and the principles of Algeria’s foreign policy, which include rejecting aggression, respecting state sovereignty and settling disputes peacefully. It also calls for adherence to the principles and objectives of the United Nations, the African Union and the Arab League, particularly regarding peacekeeping, while respecting the President’s constitutional authority to decide on the deployment of military units abroad.
The parliamentary vote is being held for the first time under Article 91 of the Algerian Constitution, introduced as part of the constitutional amendments approved in the referendum of November 1, 2020, and published in the Official Gazette on December 30 of the same year. The article allows the President to decide on the deployment of People’s National Army units abroad, subject to approval by a two-thirds majority in each parliamentary chamber.
The development comes at a sensitive security juncture, as the Sahel, Central Africa and the Horn of Africa face recurring security developments and challenges. It also follows a visit to Algeria by Nigeria’s Minister of Defence just days earlier, during which he was received by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Source: Local media
