Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal called on Maghreb countries to work together for better border security.
“It is necessary for Maghreb countries to conduct consultations and co-operate with each other to secure their common borders and fight smuggling,” Sellal said Thursday (July 25th) during a visit to the border city of Tindouf.
Smuggling in the Maghreb has “reached an alarming level,” he said. The funds accrued by smugglers are used to buy “drugs marketed in Algeria”, he said, noting that greater economic co-operation would help curb the problem.
“Algeria has no problems with neighbouring countries,” the premier added. “Its position has always been based on good neighbourhood relations. This is a solid position. We are advocates of dialogue so that peace and security prevail in Algeria and the whole Maghreb nation.”
Algerian security services last week received a list of suspected terrorists from their Tunisian counterparts.
The Tunisian, Libyan, Algerian and Egyptian nationals named on the list are linked to the jihadist movement in Tunisia and have “ties to Libyan and Syrian groups”, Mosaique FM reported on July 21st.
Tunisian security authorities had reportedly received information that terrorist groups intended to carry out operations in both countries.
To prevent any such infiltration into its territory, Algeria raised the alert level at its borders with Mali, Libya and Tunisia.
The concern was justified. On July 19th, Algerian troops in El Oued succeeded in locating an SUV crossing unmonitored border paths from Libya. The SUV was destroyed and three terrorists were killed.
The car was loaded with automatic weapons, anti-aircraft missiles, RPGs, and bullet-proof jackets.
The group was reportedly on a mission to bring Libyan weapons to al-Qaeda’s Okba Ibn Nafaa brigade in the Jebal Chaambi region, but lost its way in the desert.
“Algeria and Tunisia are periodically exchanging intelligence and information related to the movement of terrorist elements on the border,” retired military officer Taher bin Thamer told Magharebia.
“The exchange of information between Algeria and Tunisia comes in the context of intelligence work that has been strengthened since the attack on the gas plant at In Amenas,” he said.
Because “the spread of jihadist ideology and the availability of weapons” threatens regional stability, the officer added, Maghreb countries must “intensify co-operation, share intelligence, develop co-ordination and accelerate new strategies to ensure security”.
