The military exercises take place in the midst of a diplomatic crisis with Morocco

Algerian army conducts naval manoeuvres near Moroccan border

photo_camera PHOTO/AP - Saïd Chengriha oversees Algerian Army military manoeuvres

The Algerian military junta has carried out a series of naval manoeuvres in an area near the border with Morocco. The military exercises involved submarines simulating a battle "against an enemy" in the deep sea, according to a communiqué from the Algerian Ministry of Defence.

The simulation took place at the Mers El-Kebir naval base. Located off the coast of the city of Oran, Mers el-Kebir is the largest Algerian naval base. Because of its geographical position, it is also known as the Western Sea Frontage, as it borders the Moroccan coastline.

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The military exercises took place under the supervision of Lieutenant General Saied, the chief of staff of the National People's Army (ANP), and Major General Mahfoud Benmedah. During the exercise, missiles and torpedoes were launched from the submarine Djurdjura "against maritime targets which were successfully destroyed," the statement stressed.

The new manoeuvres have coincided with a major diplomatic crisis between Algeria and Morocco. Last August, Algeria's foreign minister, Ramtane Lamamra, officially declared to the media that relations with Morocco had been severed. The decision was taken by the president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who had already been warning of his dissatisfaction with recent Moroccan policies on Western Sahara and Morocco's position on the Kabyle tribes' independence movement.

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A few days ago, we also learned of Algeria's decision to close its airspace to all civilian and military aircraft registered in Morocco. This decision was taken due to "continuous provocations and hostile practices on the Moroccan side", according to the High Security Council. From Rabat, silence reigns in the face of a tense situation that highlights the discord between the two countries that has been going on for decades.

Following Algeria's unilateral rupture, Rabat lamented the decision of a country it considered a "neighbour" and "brother", as Morocco's King Mohammed VI reiterated in his speech on the Feast of the Throne.

According to the ministry's communiqué, this exercise is part of "the training of the naval forces in combat operations close to reality and the assessment of the mastery of the modern weapons system".

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Also, last January, Algeria led a series of tactical exercises with live ammunition under the name of "Al Hazm 2021", which would have been part of the evolution of the first phase of the Combat Readiness 2021 programme. According to the MoD, the exercise was intended to "test the combat readiness of units in the operational sector in southern Tindouf, as well as to train commanders in the conduct of operations".

As with the naval exercises, Lieutenant General Said Chengriha supervised the combat actions carried out by the various units, from the exercises conducted by the SU-30MKA and Mig-29 S fighter planes, to those of the Mi-24MKII helicopters, to the participation of the T-90S tanks.

What is remarkable about "Al Hazm 2021" is that it also coincided with a diplomatic crisis on the part of Algiers and Rabat, although this did not lead to a total breakdown in relations, as it did this time. The disagreements that have been going on for decades seem far from being resolved, at least on the part of Algeria, which rejected Rabat's invitation to develop "fraternal relations".
 

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