Tebboune's health at the centre of Algerian-German intelligence meeting
Senior officials from the Algerian and German secret services are scheduled to meet in Berlin on 8 August to discuss the state of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's health, two Algerian security sources told Maghreb Intelligence. According to the portal, the Algerian delegation will be led by Major General M'henna Djebbar, head of the Algerian foreign intelligence service, who will meet in the German capital with his counterparts from the German foreign intelligence service, the BND.
According to sources, the talks between Algerians and Germans will essentially focus on the medical file of Tebboune, who was hospitalised in Germany - first in Cologne and then in Berlin - between October 2020 and the end of February 2021, following his infection with COVID-19. As Maghreb Intelligence recalls, in February 2021, the Algerian leader was even operated on by German doctors to remedy side effects related to the coronavirus.
This meeting comes as the Algerian president is soon to begin a new series of medical check-ups in specialised German health centres, in order to examine his condition more closely and to begin a new in-depth medical examination in view of the important political events that await him in the future, and in particular the presidential elections of 2024.
According to Maghreb Intelligence's sources, Tebboune suffers from chronic fatigue, and his recent long trips abroad, particularly to Russia and China, have left their mark on his health, which is still sensitive due to the after-effects of COVID-19. Due to this situation, serious concerns are beginning to be expressed within the Algerian regime about the president's physical capacity, as he aspires to a second term in office in 2024. "At 78, Abdelmadjid Tebboune remains a frail man, and his state of health is still very much affected by the coronavirus infection," the portal stresses.
Maghreb Intelligence also points out that "his ability to lead the country for another five years after 2024 is by no means a given", which is why "many Algerian leaders have become aware of this reality". In this sense, the Algerian president needs the German doctors who already treated him in 2021, although the current scenario is different from then. Due to the war in Ukraine and Algiers' proximity to Moscow, relations between the North African country and Germany are not at their best, especially since Tebboune's visit to Russia, where he announced his support for President Vladimir Putin vis-à-vis the West, where Germany stands. "From August or September 2023, the Algerian president intends to make discreet trips to Germany to be examined by very sophisticated institutions in Berlin," the portal reports.
Due to the current situation and the traditional friendship between Algiers and Moscow, Major General M'henna Djebbar will have to restore the confidence of the Germans in order for the country's authorities to authorise Tebboune's medical trips, as well as to maintain medical secrecy. This scenario reflects Algeria's current attempts to strike a balance between the West and Russia. Despite its support for Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine began, Algeria has also managed to forge closer ties, especially in energy matters, with European countries such as France and Italy.