As part of its cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Ministry of National Defense is organizing, from February 23 to 26, 2025, at the National Army Circle and the National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology of the National Gendarmerie (INCC/GN), the third edition of the Regional Seminar on Sampling and Analysis in a Highly Contaminated Environment, led by national experts. The opening ceremony of this event was chaired by General Berroumana Sid Ahmed, Chief of Staff of the National Gendarmerie.

This regional event is part of Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and will be attended by forty-one (41) African trainees, including eighteen (18) Algerians. Its main objective is to strengthen the knowledge and skills of specialists from African States Parties, as well as to promote South-South cooperation in the field of chemical emergencies. In his opening address, the Chief of Staff of the National Gendarmerie first thanked the OPCW for the initiative to organize this third edition and, secondly, emphasized that this event is part of the partnership between Algeria and the OPCW, which has seen quantitative and qualitative growth in recent years, notably through the awarding of the INCC/GN as an OPCW designated laboratory in July 2024 and the “OPCW-The Hague” award in November 2024.

He also noted that Algeria continues to develop its technical and operational capabilities in the field of protection and assistance against chemical weapons and to strengthen its cooperation with African countries, notably through the organization of regional exercises, such as the multi-component exercise “CHEMEX AFRICA,” held From September 24 to October 4, 2023.

Furthermore, the Executive Secretary of the Interministerial Committee for the Implementation of the CWC stated: “The main objective of this third edition of this regional seminar is to promote the capabilities for assistance and protection against chemical warfare agents, and the expertise of specialists from States Parties to the CWC, in their capacity as first responders and those responsible for sampling and analysis operations in a highly contaminated environment, in the event of a chemical attack or incident, in accordance with the provisions of Article X of the CWC.”

To this end, he emphasized that the seminar will be structured around five (5) modules, namely: sampling, personal protective equipment, decontamination and analysis of dangerous chemical agents, as well as the medical component relating to first aid in the event of a chemical attack. Also, practical sessions will be carried out at the INCC/GN of Bouchaoui, where a guided tour, at the new designated laboratory of the OPCW, was organized for the benefit of the representative of the OPCW and all the participants in this seminar.