DGSN Chief Hamel: « Egypt didn’t oppose Algeria’s bid to host Afripol’s headquarters”

The discussions initiated in the course of the Afripol’s meeting for consideration of the draft statutes of “Afripol” prompted the participants to greatly enrich the concept of common security through “a new-fangled dimension that lives up to the African context,” said Monday in Algiers at a closing press conference the Director-General of National Security (DGSN), Major General Abdelghani Hamel.

“The free-wheeling discussions initiated for the purpose of examining the draft statutes of “Afripol”, its program and the positions of the proposed divisions, led us to bring into focus the variety of interdependencies (…), so as to upgrade the concept of joint security through a new scope that really tallies with the African context,” said Abdelghani Hamel.

The DGSN Chief also indicated that contrary to certain baseless rumours, Egypt hasn’t at all opposed the proposal that the “Afripol” headquarters be located in the Algerian capital Algiers.

Mr. Hamel explained that the various presentations and the debates as part of the “Afripol” meeting highlighted the fact that “the management of police affairs on the African continent should transcend the limiting framework within which particular elements play an exclusive role more than the other.”

For him, the trans-nationalization of the challenges and threats is a fundamental element in the management of the Afripol’s statutes thus “making futile any idea of ​​separate security”, adding that the areas of intervention of Afripol “could witness in the short future a considerable extension by integrating other areas”.

A variety perceived similarly to the risks, threats and vulnerabilities now facing the African continent, he asserted.

“Whether it is about economic, environmental, health or energy security or whether it’s about the safety of persons and their property, the proliferation of security approaches reflects a new situation in which we are called upon to act all together in a comprehensive and multi-sectoral manner,” noted Mr. Hamel.