In the absence of General Saïd Chengriha, Algeria hosted the 13th Council of Defense Ministers meeting and the 14th Committee of Chiefs of Staff meeting for the North African Regional Capacity (NARC) on Thursday. These gatherings saw participation from «high-level delegations from member states: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic», according to an official statement from the Algerian Ministry of Defense. The discussions centered on assessing the mechanism's activities for 2025 and exploring ways to boost cooperation and coordination among member states to effectively tackle regional challenges and security threats, the statement added. At the end of the meetings, the final report was signed, underscoring the member states' dedication to reinforcing joint regional efforts in the face of security issues, reported Algerian television on social media. Mauritania was represented by a civilian-led delegation, as neither the Defense Minister nor the Chief of the Armed Forces attended the meetings in Algiers. The country is marking its 65th independence anniversary this Friday. Meanwhile, Tunisia chose not to send a representative, despite having signed a military cooperation agreement with Algiers on October 2. Established in 2005, the NARC operates under the auspices of the African Union.
