Algeria’s Participation in African Lion 2025 Military Exercise Uncertain

"Algeria was invited to observe the African Lion exercise in Tunisia. We are currently working to confirm if they will attend the exercise," an AFRICOM official confirmed to Oualid Kebir, an Algerian analyst, without providing more details on Algiers’ participation.

The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) had announced the official launch of the African Lion 2025 military exercise, scheduled to start on April 14 in Tunisia, with Algeria among the observer countries. Algiers was listed among the observers alongside Belgium, India, Qatar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, and Equatorial Guinea. After this announcement, Algeria seems to be withdrawing from this large-scale annual military exercise.

This withdrawal - not yet confirmed - is explained by the fact that Algeria does not maintain good relations with Morocco and Israel. In February, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had mentioned, during an interview with a French media outlet, a possible evolution of the Algerian position towards Israel, without considering normalization. In August 2021, Algiers cut ties with Morocco. Since then, their relations remain tense. The country also views the Morocco-Israel alliance unfavorably.

African Lion began on April 14 in Tunisia and will continue in Morocco, Ghana, and Senegal starting in May. In total, 10,000 soldiers from more than 40 countries, including seven North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, will participate in this military exercise. The forces involved will test advanced capabilities such as the HIMARS (HIRAIN) system, the new NGSW squad weapons, and the integration of cyber defense exercises. Humanitarian and medical components will also be present, in a global effort for inclusive security.