ROME – Sunday, 23 July 2023 (APS) – In a speech read by Prime Minister Aimene Benabderrahmane in Rome on Sunday, the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, affirmed that Algeria’s approach to combating illegal migration was based on support for peace and security in countries experiencing an exodus of migrants, while calling on these countries to mobilize more funding for the implementation of development projects and reintegration, according to a well-defined timetable.
In his address to the International Conference on Development and Migration, President Tebboune stated that Algeria “will continue to support development efforts in Africa”, recalling the mobilization of one US$1 billion to support development and integration in these countries.
“The first steps in implementing this decision concern the implementation of development projects to benefit African countries, notably Niger and Mali”, which represents “a real contribution to development efforts to effectively combat illegal migration”, he said.
President Tebboune seized this opportunity to highlight Algeria’s “extreme interest” in the issue of clandestine migration, particularly in terms of its close correlation with development, and the challenges and problems of this scourge, which need to be addressed.
President Tebboune also pointed out that the Rome meeting “takes place against a backdrop marked by the worsening of clandestine migration in our region”, with all the challenges and recurring tragic scenes that this situation poses.
All this is due to a series of factors “whose effects are known to all”, headed by structural dysfunctions in the development approach of several countries, added to wars, conflicts, the spread of hotbeds of tension, insecurity, the growth of the terrorism scourge, cross-border crime, climate change, as well as the deterioration of the socio-economic situation, he continued.
“This scourge now poses dangerous security challenges, due to the accompanying proliferation of organized crime and infiltration by subversive organizations, smuggling networks and human trafficking, with a view to facilitating the movement of terrorists via false identities”, a situation “that now threatens the internal security of States,” said the Head of State.
As for Algeria, “thanks to its geostrategic position, its recent economic development and the stability that characterizes it, it has changed from a country of transit to a country that receives and settles migrants from Sahel-Saharan countries and certain conflict zones in African and Arab countries.”.
“This situation has worsened as a result of security measures and provisions to protect the European Union’s external borders and tighten visa-granting procedures,” continued the Head of State.
“However, Algeria, driven by its permanent solidarity with neighboring countries, has for many years adopted a relatively tolerant policy towards these flows”, which has led to “an unprecedented rise in the number of illegal migrants who have settled on its territory, with all that such a phenomenon can engender in terms of repercussions at various levels.”
In view of all this, the President of the Republic warned that this phenomenon would take on even greater proportions in the future if the necessary measures were not taken and implemented in time.
In this regard, he noted that the security approach to migration, “although it meets the urgent need to maintain public order and combat the networks of smugglers and human traffickers, does not contribute to addressing this phenomenon in a sustainable way.”
It is therefore imperative to “consider global solutions that guarantee stability, stimulate the development momentum and create employment opportunities for young people in the countries of origin, in order to curb the phenomenon of clandestine migration,” he stressed.
President Tebboune, therefore, called for “North-South cooperation to be elevated to a higher level, in order to provide aid and assistance to the countries of the South, by increasing development contributions made to them.”