Algeria at 63: Independence without freedom

As Algeria marks the 63rd anniversary of its independence this July 5, there is little cause for celebration among its citizens. Despite being one of the wealthiest countries in North Africa in terms of natural resources, particularly oil and gas, the country remains mired in stagnation, corruption, and repression.

Algeria’s hydrocarbon riches should have propelled it to prosperity decades ago. Instead, successive regimes have squandered these resources through mismanagement and systemic corruption. 

State institutions are plagued by opacity, and public funds often vanish into the pockets of a well-entrenched elite. For most Algerians, the daily reality is high unemployment, crumbling infrastructure, and limited prospects.

The current regime, an extension of decades-old military-backed rule, continues to suppress dissent while clinging to outdated nationalist rhetoric. Freedom of speech, assembly, and press are severely restricted. Independent journalists are harassed or jailed. 

Activists from the Hirak movement, which called for democratic reforms starting in 2019, have been systematically silenced. Elections are staged affairs, with outcomes all but predetermined.

Toxic Foreign Policy

Algeria’s foreign policy raises further concern. Rather than aligning with democratic nations or investing in regional stability, Algiers has doubled down on partnerships with regimes notorious for authoritarianism, conflict, or international isolation. 

Whether through arms deals, energy diplomacy, or political support, Algeria has aligned itself with actors that mirror its own disregard for transparency and human rights.

What Algeria faces today is not a crisis of resources, but a crisis of governance. The country’s youth, who make up a majority of the population, are disillusioned and increasingly looking abroad for opportunity. Meanwhile, those in power remain fixated on control rather than reform.

Sixty-three years after throwing off colonial rule, Algeria remains captive to an internal system that denies its people the very freedoms they once fought for. True independence, in the political and economic sense, remains an unfulfilled promise.