APS : Thursday, 12 May 2016
WASHINGTON (U.S.A)- Algeria is a key actor in the fight against terrorism in North Africa, and “plays a major role in the region’s stability,” said Wednesday the American think tank, Center for Transatlantic Relations (CTR).
The research centre, based at the Johns Hopkins University discussed, in a two-hour debate devoted exclusively to Algeria, the efforts made by the Algerian authorities to maintain peace and security in North Africa.
Launching this debated, entitled “Algeria: Challenges and Opportunities,” Sacha Toperich, CTR Senior Fellow said that Algeria, “a beacon for stability in the region,” not only ensures the protection of African countries, but is also a rampart against the expansion of terrorism to Europe and the United States.
The moderator of this debate, led by Algerian senator Hafida Benchehida and CTR visiting scholar from Algeria Samy Boukaila, explained that the strengthening of border surveillance by the Algerian army prevented the proliferation of terrorist groups.
This strong deployment of troops at the borders, which is financially expensive, is ensured by Algeria in a context of decreasing oil prices, which has cost Algeria half of its revenues, said for her part, Benchehida.
She considered that this fight against terrorism requires joint efforts that must be reflected by a better access of Algeria to sophisticated means of surveillance.
The senator said that Algerian authorities strengthened border security while providing security assistance to Tunisia, a country highly affected by the repercussions of the Libyan crisis.
Explaining Algeria’s vision for the resolution of conflicts, based on dialogue and mediation, Benchehida underlined Algeria’s role in terms of regional security, particularly for its peace efforts for the conflicts in Mali and Libya.
