President Bouteflika's Purge Of The Algerian Military Is Seen As A Shocking Move

In a dense flow of news focusing on the West and the Middle East, some other parts in the World are getting less coverage than they deserve. 

North Africa is one of them. No matter what, the developments in the region – in particular in Tunisia and Libya – require our attention. So does Algeria. The power structure in the large country seems stable, but in fact it is not.

“You want me to make a revolution alone… Tell me more about army generals. Tell me about the gang of 15, 20 or perhaps 30 army generals!”

These were the words of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in 1999, before he became president of the country, after a long battle for power between Islamists and militarists, of which the latter won, maintaining a hard-liner position.

Now, after a long lull, it was time for a purge. Bouteflika, 81 years old, and mostly hidden from public after a stroke, ordered the detention of five top generals on charges of corruption, as a follow-up of firing another dozen of them recently. These steps come amid the speculation that the veteran politician wants to curb the military's influence in the state apparatus.

In September 2015, Bouteflika sacked Algeria’s secretive intelligence chief, Mohamed Mediene, in one of the country’s biggest political shake-ups. Known in Algeria as “Rab Dzayer” (“Algeria’s God”), Mediene had been one of the world’s longest-serving intelligence service chiefs, heading Algeria’s Intelligence and Security Directorate for 25 years.

While the expert analysts see the move as an 'earthquake that shatters the top levels of the army', some other observers see it as a maneuver by the president to secure a future after his passing away.

Despite cracking down on “corrupt” military figures, Bouteflika has spent more than any other leader on defence. He aims to “make Algeria’s military one of the 20 strongest military powers in the world by 2035.”.. It has spent $10 billion annually on the military since 1999. 

Presidential elections are due next April.