Disgraced former defence minister Khaled Nezzar calls for overthrow of 'arrogant' Algerian strongman

Gaid Salah has widely been seen as the most influential figure in Algerian politics ever since protests forced the resignation of former Algerian President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika in April 2019.

In a video shot in an unknown location and published on Friday, former Defence Minister Khaled Nezzar called on Algerian troops to depose Gaid Salah, without directly referencing him.

Nezzar said that his "comrades" in the army should remove "the amateurs who think they are at the pinnacle of wisdom", adding that "these people are motivated by unbridled ambition, self-love, arrogance, and prejudice".

Nezzar, who is 82, was the Algerian defence minister between 1990 and 1993. He was one of the chief architects of a 1992 military coup which annulled democratic elections that were set to be won by the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS).

Algeria descended into a bloody civil war after that, which lasted until the early 2000s and claimed around 150,000 lives.

Despite his involvement in the 1992 military coup and the civil war that followed, Nezzar criticized General Gaid Salah for his continued involvement in politics.

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"Civilians should take the major decisions concerning peace and war. Soldiers should implement their orders. How can we accept the perverse state we’re living in?" he said.

On August 6, the Algerian government issued an international arrest warrant for Nezzar, accusing him of "conspiring against the Algerian army".

In 2002, Nezzar sued a dissident Algerian officer, Habib Souaidia, for defamation in a French court, after Souaidia said that Nezzar was "responsible for the killing of thousands of people" during the Algerian Civil War, and had orchestrated massacres of civilians that were blamed on Islamist militants.

The court ruled in favour of Souaidia and Nezzar had to leave France after nine Algerians filed complaints against him for torture and inhumane treatment.

Algeria has been locked in political deadlock ever since ailing President Bouteflika was removed from power. Parliamentary speaker Abdelkader Bensalah assumed the presidency on a temporary basis but General Gaid Salah is seen as the real power in the country.

Mass protests have continued in Algeria, calling for the removal of all officials connected to the Bouteflika regime. Thousands of people rallied in Algiers on Friday calling for a civil disobedience campaign against the government.

One protester held up a sign saying "May God make the oppressors fight each other and keep us safe from them - Ahmed Gaid Salah and Khaled Nezzar".

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