Algeria using its military to preserve African Sahel security

Africa's natural resources have always been at the center of competition among international powers.

This has opened the door for unrest in many of the countries of the continent, especially in the African Sahel region.

The region has geostrategic importance and huge energy reserves. This importance and these reserves put the region at the heart of struggles for influence among various international powers.

The same conditions gave Algeria, which shares borders with the region, a huge military and diplomatic task.

This task compounds the difficulties Algeria is facing because of unrest in North Africa, especially in Libya and the African Sahel.

Decision-makers in Algeria are doubling their efforts to confront growing challenges to the security of their country.

Security threats in North Africa and the African Sahel region are creating new realities and challenges. These new conditions add to the old challenges emanating from the two regions.

They are causing a change in the strategies of the Algerian army which now considers the deployment of troops in some regional states where tensions are high.

These Algerian troops will be trying to maintain security and stability in these states.

The Algerian parliament approved recently a decision in this regard.

The decision gives legitimacy to foreign missions by the Algerian army. It deprives opposition parties of the chance to accuse the army of acting in violation of the law, especially if it decides to send units on missions outside Algerian borders.

Some of the foreign missions by the army are expected to assume a humanitarian nature. Others will aim to protect Algerian national security.

The doctrine of the Algerian army has always been a defensive one. This doctrine has kept the army away from deploying units in foreign territories over the years.

Nonetheless, the change of doctrine for the army will enjoy international and local legal support. It will also move hand in hand with the new Algerian foreign policy direction.

Algeria is emerging as a principal player in the preservation of stability and security on the regional and international stages. This means that the army will be one of the cards of Algerian foreign policy in this regard.

On February 12, former president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, said Algeria has an important role to play in the stability of the Sahel region.

The magnitude and complexity of the security crisis in the region, he said, are unprecedented.