Diplomat: Algeria Deployed 80,000 Troops on Borders with Mali, Libya

Italian Ambassador in Algeria Pasqual Ferrara. Asharq Al-Awsat
Italian Ambassador in Algeria Pasqual Ferrara. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Diplomat: Algeria Deployed 80,000 Troops on Borders with Mali, Libya

Italian Ambassador in Algeria Pasqual Ferrara. Asharq Al-Awsat
Italian Ambassador in Algeria Pasqual Ferrara. Asharq Al-Awsat

Italian Ambassador in Algeria Pasquale Ferrara said that the Algerian army has deployed 80,000 troops on the southern borders (Mali and Niger) and the eastern borders (Libya).

Ferrara, who is currently visiting Rome for a conference on migration organized by LUISS University, revealed the existence of 500 thousand secret migrants south Algeria, coming from the west African Sahel region states.

Italian news agency, ANSA, quoted him as saying that large military reinforcements are deployed along Algeria's borders with its neighbors, which are more than 3,000 kilometers long, without giving further details.

This is the first time a statistics on the deployment of the Algerian army is announced in the context of the war declared by the authorities on terrorism and the smuggling of arms in the south.

The military usually avoids mentioning everything related to its personnel and equipment.

The head of the Italian diplomatic mission did not mention the source of this news, but he is likely to have known these info from his meetings with Algerian officials.

Algerian authorities often deal sensitively with foreign diplomats when they engage in media with defense and security issues, particularly when it comes to publishing figures and statistics.

Foreign ambassadors were often called in the foreign ministry because of "crossing red lines".

The government also acts sensitively when it comes to the issue of clandestine immigration and is being criticized by local and foreign human rights organizations.

Interior Minister Noureddine Badawi said in May that 500 people enter the country illegally from the southern border on daily basis, and the ministry pledged to "respect human rights" during the deportation of illegal immigrants.

This was an implicit response to the recent criticism of Algeria by international human rights organizations, which accused it of "insulting the dignity of foreign migrants" and "racism towards deported migrants."

Algeria has also been held accountable for this issue by the United Nations Human Rights Council.

On the other hand, Ferrara said that Italy is Algeria's main trading partner, with commercial exchange totaling nine billion dollars in 2017.

"There are 180 Italian companies in Algeria, but they are experiencing transitional era because of the policy of economic diversification adopted by the Algerian government,” he said.

The Italian diplomat said Italy can grow even more in Algeria, with potential in the areas of renewable energy and agribusiness as well as the traditional sectors of energy, technology, and large-scale construction.



Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
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Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)

The Sudanese army carried out a surprise military operation in the early hours of Saturday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, regaining several positions in the city’s far southwest that it had previously abandoned to advancing Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Military sources reported that calm returned to El Fasher after intense clashes on Friday between the army and RSF fighters, who attempted a major offensive to deepen their hold inside the city. In a statement, the army said its Sixth Infantry Division successfully repelled a fresh RSF attack, inflicting heavy losses in personnel and equipment, and restored control over all frontline areas.

RSF militants had infiltrated southern neighborhoods, seizing the Central Security Reserve headquarters and the Shalla prison. According to army sources, these forces were pushed back through ground combat supported by extensive drone strikes, forcing them to retreat to their original positions. The sources confirmed there were no significant breakthroughs or territorial gains by the RSF following the operation.

In a statement on Saturday, Prime Minister Kamel Idris expressed “deep anger, pain, and responsibility” over the worsening humanitarian disaster in El Fasher. He condemned the “suffocating and inhumane siege imposed by the RSF militia,” describing it as “one of the most brutal cases of collective extortion and systematic starvation in recent history.”

Idris vowed that the government would not stand idly by in the face of this “atrocious” crime and pledged to use all political, diplomatic, and humanitarian means to break the siege and ensure urgent aid reaches civilians trapped in El Fasher amid widespread starvation and international silence.

He called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with international and humanitarian organizations, to act immediately to pressure the militia to open humanitarian corridors and end the use of starvation as a weapon against civilians.

The prime minister highlighted the RSF’s refusal to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which demands lifting the siege on El Fasher, and their rejection of UN calls for a humanitarian ceasefire. He held the militia responsible for obstructing aid and accountable for the ongoing starvation and terror inflicted on civilians.

Idris warned against silence over these crimes, including the killing of civilians fleeing the siege and bombardments. He also cited the systematic destruction of hospitals by RSF suicide drone and strategic attacks, threatening the lives of millions of innocent civilians.

“What is happening in El Fasher is a major crime committed in full view and hearing of the world,” he said, urging the international community to move beyond lukewarm statements to real action and pressure on those besieging, starving, and attacking civilians.

The RSF continues to attempt to seize the city and its army base, the last stronghold of government forces across all Darfur states. Military sources said defenders repelled the assault and inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers.

The RSF has maintained a tight siege on El Fasher since May 2024, blocking all roads and supply routes and preventing humanitarian aid from entering, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths from starvation and medical shortages.