Francis Ghilès, The Unlikely Role of the Algerian Army, May 2019
Millions of Algerians have marched, every Friday, for more than two months now, claiming their share of legitimacy alongside that of the army. Every Algerian knows that the army is the guarantor of the peace in Africa’s largest country which lies in the middle of a very troubled region. An intense debate is going on inside the army right now which has two facets: the first is to build the institutional machinery to ensure free and fair elections; the second is to reassure outside powers that what is going on in Algeria will not upset the regional balance of power.
