Algeria Force Hinders Western Intervention in the Sahel, Expert

The Africa Sahel region is increasingly attracting the interest of the United States and France, who are competing to grasp the oil fields there, under the cover of fighting members of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

In this regard, Ahmed Adimi, an expert in the Sahel region, told Echorouk reporter that the Franco-US race in Africa has been displayed, on the one hand, through the NATO intervention in Libya to force Gaddafi stepping down, and on the other hand through the several visits conducted, a couple of days ago, by French Foreign Minister, Allain Jupe, and US chief commander of the US Africom, General Carter Ham, to Mauritania. These visits reflect the extent to which these Western countries are competing to consoloditae their presence in Africa, Said Mr Adimi. 

In fact, “Mauritania is the weakest part in the North African region,” the expert said, adding that “each time France and the US want to impose a project in the region, they resort to Mauritania, regarding poverty, high debts and social problems hitting the country.” 

Algeria’s key role and weigh in the region have “blocked” the military intervention of these countries, thanks to the counterterrorism initiatives taken by the North African country in the Sahel region, Mr Adimi asserted.

He further added that the Western intervention in Libya aims at dividing it, just like Sudan has been divided, stressing that the West awaits that Algeria to get weak to implement “the division project.” He forecasted that the Arab region map would completely change during the two upcoming decades. 

The presence of the US and France in the region is prompted by the oil, while tracking down terrorists, is only a pretext, assumed Mr Adimi. The oil fields of Africa represent the raceway of the West in the region, as reports mentioned that the Americans are tending to leave the Gulf region, and instead heading to Africa, where they are due to bring 20 percent of their oil needs.