In a significantly compelling letter to Secretary Anthony Blinken, twenty-seven democratic and republican congressmen urged the US administration to apply sanctions to Algeria for engaging in arms purchases from Russia, an activity that helps fund Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Considered “Algeria’s largest military supplier”, Russia relies on its arms sales, along with oil and gas, to fund a costly war, which the West, under the leadership of the US, considers to be a blatant aggression on a non-belligerent neighboring country. Algeria’s arms deals with Russia have been significant over the last two decades, totaling sometimes $ 10 billion per year.
Algeria does not hide its support of Russia although it abstained on voting for the UN resolutions condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Algeria is even suspected of facilitating the deployment of Wagner (the shadowy Russian military group with links to war crimes and the Russian military, that carries out Russian military’s dirty work in Syria, Lybia and other conflict areas in Mali. It is possible also that it is behind speeding up French troops’ pulling out of the Sahelian country. There are even rumors circulating in West Africa that Algeria has a hand in the most recent coup d’état in Burkina Faso, whereby calls were made to ask for Russian intervention to fight terrorism as is supposedly being done in Mali.
In their letter to Secretary Blinken, US congresswomen and men said that “last year alone, Algeria finalized an arms purchase with Russia that totaled over $7 billion. In this deal, Algeria agreed to purchase advanced Russian fighter aircraft1, including Sukhoi 57.” Highly offensive weapons of this kind not only speed up the arms race in the region, but help promote the military technology of Russia, a country that is proving, in the eyes of the US and the other Western allies, to be bellicose and aggressive towards neighboring and non-neighboring countries.
American law is clear in this regard. “In 2017, Congress passed the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA.) This legislation directs the President of the United States to impose sanctions on individuals who knowingly, “engage in a significant transaction with a person that is part of, or operates for or on behalf of, the defense or intelligence sectors of the Government of the Russian Federation.”
The signatories wrote to Secretary Blinken as the President has delegated the application of the sanctions to him, with coordination of Secretary of the Treasury. The US MPs regret that no sanctions “have been crafted by the State Department” although the Algeria-Russia arms deal qualifies as “a significant transaction” under CAATSA.
The question seems to be of utmost concern to Congress and the Senate. A few days ago, Senator Marco Rubio called upon Secretary Blinken to impose sanctions on officials in Algeria who engage in arms deals with Russia. As CAATSA targets individuals, the sanctions cannot be imposed on Algeria as a country but on individuals such as army generals or relevant ministers and high officials.
US legislators seem to be concerned that Algeria’s arms deals with Russia are undermining US and Western efforts to stifle Russia’s efforts to fund its war against Ukraine. Algeria’s oil revenues are skyrocketing, and it is using part of the revenue to pay Russia. It may be possible that the North African country is showering its long-term ally (Russia) with loans and pass-throughs to help with the War effort.
Algeria has links to the US and Europe, especially as a supplier of oil and gas. But I do not think the US administration will look the other way if an “economic partner” is sabotaging its efforts to contain Russia and protect its (US) vital interests in Europe. Algeria will never stop fossil energy supplies as it needs US and Western partners to purchase its oil and invest in its derelict oil and gas industry. On the other hand, the ruling oligarchy in Algiers (especially the military) is in desperate need of the oil revenues to curb social unrest and to keep the rent economy, from which benefits the army, ongoing.
Moreover, Algeria’s role in facilitating Russian presence in the Sahel countries of Mali and Burkina Faso will not go unnoticed by the US and its European allies. If the US does not curb Algeria’s thrust to act as proxy actor for Russia in Africa, it will be the beginning of the end of Western development and antiterrorism efforts in the continent, especially at a moment when China and Turkey are consolidating their presence via investments, loans, grants, and joint ventures.
The US administration must act now before it is too late.