Algeria, Russia Kick Off Military Exercises Near Border with Morocco  

Former Algerian-Russian maneuvers in the Mediterranean. (Ministry of Defense)
Former Algerian-Russian maneuvers in the Mediterranean. (Ministry of Defense)
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Algeria, Russia Kick Off Military Exercises Near Border with Morocco  

Former Algerian-Russian maneuvers in the Mediterranean. (Ministry of Defense)
Former Algerian-Russian maneuvers in the Mediterranean. (Ministry of Defense)

Joint military exercises between the Algerian and Russian armed forces kicked off in Algeria on Wednesday and will continue until Nov. 28. 

The joint anti-terrorist drills dubbed Desert Shield 2022 were launched at the Hammaguir testing ground in Bechar Province near the border with Morocco.

They involve about 200 soldiers from both countries’ counterterrorism forces.  

According to observers, the drills are considered the largest since Algiers and Moscow established military cooperation during the Soviet Union. 

During the exercise, the forces are scheduled to practice search, detection and elimination of terrorist groups in the desert setting. 

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had previously asserted that the drills are not directed against third parties and were planned beforehand, in implicit reference to Morocco and its tense relations with its eastern neighbor, with which ties have been severed since the summer of 2021. 

The media office of the “Russian Southern Military District” had earlier stated that the maneuvers “are tactical and aimed at searching for, detecting and destroying illegal armed groups,” noting that they are the first on Algerian soil between the armies of the two countries. 

The first joint Russian-Algerian tactical drills, held in Russia’s North Ossetia region in October 2021, involved about 200 Russian and Algerian troops, as well special equipment. 

The Desert Shields exercises confirm the depth of the strategic partnership between Moscow and Algeria, Algerian Parliamentary Vice Speaker Bouteldja Allel told Sputnik on Wednesday. 

He stated that the annually held military exercises are a great chance for both countries to adopt the latest methods of each other’s work. 

“Algeria acquires Russian weapons on a regular basis and in large quantities,” he affirmed, adding that relations between the two countries have been and will continue to be strategic for many decades.  

“The drills are also an extremely important part of the strategic cooperation between the two countries.” 

He underlined the very high level of mutual communications at the level of the presidents of both countries, namely Vladimir Putin and Abdelmadjid Tebboune. 

The Algerian army has a human force of approximately 465,000 soldiers, Sputnik revealed.

Algeria is becoming the world's largest importer of Russian arms. According to the Algerian press, a huge contract valued at over $11 billion is being prepared.

Sputnik described Algeria as a “strategic ally” and “friend partner” to Russia.



AU Urges Permanent Ceasefire in Libya After Clashes

A man holds a sign reading in Arabic "Libya is greater than all of you", as demonstrators gather for an anti-government protest, calling upon the Government of National Unity (GNU) to resign, at the Martyrs' Square in Libya's capital Tripoli on May 23, 2025. (AFP)
A man holds a sign reading in Arabic "Libya is greater than all of you", as demonstrators gather for an anti-government protest, calling upon the Government of National Unity (GNU) to resign, at the Martyrs' Square in Libya's capital Tripoli on May 23, 2025. (AFP)
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AU Urges Permanent Ceasefire in Libya After Clashes

A man holds a sign reading in Arabic "Libya is greater than all of you", as demonstrators gather for an anti-government protest, calling upon the Government of National Unity (GNU) to resign, at the Martyrs' Square in Libya's capital Tripoli on May 23, 2025. (AFP)
A man holds a sign reading in Arabic "Libya is greater than all of you", as demonstrators gather for an anti-government protest, calling upon the Government of National Unity (GNU) to resign, at the Martyrs' Square in Libya's capital Tripoli on May 23, 2025. (AFP)

The African Union called for a permanent ceasefire in Libya on Saturday after deadly clashes in the capital earlier this month and demonstrations demanding the resignation of Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, head of the Government of National Unity (GNU).

The latest fighting in the conflict-torn North African country pitted an armed group aligned with the Tripoli-based GNU against factions it has sought to dismantle, resulting in at least eight dead, according to the United Nations.

Despite a lack of a formal ceasefire, the clashes mostly ended last week, with the Libya Defense Ministry saying this week that efforts towards a truce were "ongoing".

On Saturday, the AU's Peace and Security Council condemned the recent violence, calling for an "unconditional and permanent ceasefire".

In a statement on X, the council urged "inclusive, Libyan-led reconciliation", adding that it "appeals for no external interference".

Libya is split between the GNU in Tripoli and a rival administration in the east.

The clashes were sparked by the killing of an armed faction leader by a group aligned with Dbeibah's government -- the 444 Brigade, which later fought a third group, the Radaa force that controls parts of eastern Tripoli and the city's airport.

It came after Dbeibah announced a string of executive orders seeking to dismantle Radaa and dissolve other Tripoli-based armed groups but excluding the 444 Brigade.

Egypt has flown 71 nationals home from Tripoli following the unrest, the foreign ministry said.

Friday's special flight by flag carrier EgyptAir "enabled the repatriation of 71 Egyptian citizens who had expressed a desire to come home", the ministry said.

Türkiye evacuated 82 of its nationals from Tripoli on a similar repatriation flight last week.