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Rabat – Algeria’s regime is planning to double its military budget in 2023, to reach $23 billion.
The number represents over a 120% increase in the budget compared to the military amounts allocated to the sector in the past 10 years.
Converging Algerian media reports said that the Algerian regime is seeking to push the budget to reach $23 billion instead of $10 billion.
Global Fire Power ranked Algeria 31st out of 142 countries in terms of their military power worldwide. The North African country also ranked second on the African continent following Egypt.
Algeria’s military expenditure represented 6.66% of the country’s GDP in 2020, according to World Bank data quoted by Trading Economics.
Despite the economic crisis in the North African country, Algeria’s regime is planning to expand its military expenditures for different purposes, including the settlement of the case of army veterans, the upgrade of military equipment, and the financing of new military acquisitions from Russia, among others.
Russia is Algeria’s largest arms supplier. Algeria’s extensive arms purchases from Russia resulted in mounting concerns among US congresspeople.
On September 27, members of the US Congress called for “immediate” sanctions against Algeria for its involvement in the purchase of Russian arms.
The letter argued that Algeria’s purchase of Russian weapons totaled $7 billion in 2021 alone.
“This military transfer had made Algeria the 3rd largest recipient of Russian arms in the world,” the bipartisan letter said.
The congress people warned that “desperate” Russia will continue to push for additional arms deals amid the Ukraine conflict, calling for immediate action to sanction “those in the Algerian government” who are involved in the purchase of Russian arms.
