Trying to appear as a national movement, al-Qaeda woos Algerians

Mohamed Yosri

Al‑Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is seeking to look differently trying to cover up its true nature, which turned Algeria into an arena of bloodshed in the 1990s, which is dubbed the ‘Black Decade’. Tens of thousands of Algerians were killed in the Black Decade.

Al-Andalus Media Production, which is affiliated with Al‑Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, has broadcast a video titled “Battle for Freeing Algeria Continues”, in which Abu Obaida Yusuf al-Annabi, head of the Al‑Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s Council, delivered a speech marking the 1^st anniversary of the popular protests that ousted the late President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. It also included a number of documentaries of the organization’s leaders, i.e. Osama bin Laden, the founder of the organization and Mokhtar Belmokhtar, former leader of Al‑Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Al-Annabi’s speech started with greeting of the Algerian movement away from the jihadist discourse. He called for continuing this movement. He said poll boycott would be a good beginning claiming that the way will be long.  The broadcast also contained a voice recording of Osama bin Laden and a video of Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

Al-Annabi described Mokhtar Belmokhtar as the “leader”, without any mention of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda. That raises a number of questions about al-Annabi’s relationship with the central al-Qaeda organization.

These attempts to appear as a national movement also extended to al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria and is designated as a terrorist group, has taken the same approach.

Abu Mohammad al-Julani, leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, said in a video in December 2019 that Haya Tahirir al-Sham was taking a new geopolitical approach.

Al-Julani said his group was seeking independence from the Russian and Iranian occupation, citing the need to develop plans, concepts and visions for the organization’s next battle.