Russian FM humiliates Algerian state media

As it conflates news with propaganda, an Algerian state media AL24 news was rebuked by the Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov after she made a statement instead of a question regarding Moscow’s military involvement in Africa.

The question, which has an affirmative and accusatory tone, turned into a diplomatic embarrassment for Algiers which directed its media to accuse Russian forces Africa Corps of violations in Sub-Saharan Africa, saying African countries – which invited Russia- “fear Russian military presence.”

Lavrov, visibly unimpressed, suggested the question had been scripted by Algerian authorities to provoke Russia given the tense relations between Algeria and Mali.

Lavrov moved on to deal a heavy blow to the whole national narrative on which the Post-colonial Algerian state was built: colonial borders.

He cited the legacy of artificial borders as a source of ongoing conflict across the continent, referencing tensions between Algeria and Mali, the plight of the Tuareg people, and instability in the Great Lakes region.

The incident has raised questions about the scale of propaganda and misinformation that have become a distinctive feature of Algerian media.

The state-media journalist exposed Algeria to diplomatic embarrassment.

During the same press conference, Lavrov said Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara was a sort of self-determination. The new comment irked Algeria which has blocked progress towards a political solution to the conflict.

Russia’s recent rhetoric on the conflict has shifted. In talks with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura last month, the Russian Foreign Ministry described the Western Sahara conflict as a “legacy of colonialism” and emphasized the need for a “just, durable, and mutually acceptable solution” grounded in the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions.