The Spanish citizen kidnapped in Algeria last week was released on Tuesday and handed over to his country’s authorities on Wednesday after a ceremony organized at the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The reputation of the Algerian army was discredited following this kidnapping, but the regime tried to take credit for the hostage’s release.
The Spaniard kidnapped in the Assekrem area, near Tamanrasset, by the name of Navarro Canada Joachim, was freed by his captors, a group of 5 men who had released the Algerian escorts of the tourist.
His release is in no way the fruit of “professionalism” of the Algerian intelligence and security services as the Ministry of National Defense tried to make people believe in a press release.
In reality, his release could only be achieved thanks to the mediation of a Malian separatist group, the Azawad, a Tuareg group which allegedly has “entrances” into Algeria. Indeed, the “Azawad Liberation Front” (FLA), a separatist movement operating in northern Mali, published an unequivocal statement which shows that it was he who was at the heart of the liberation of the Spanish citizen.
He provided details of his negotiations with the kidnappers of Navaro Canada Joaquim, which proves that in reality, it was these Malian Tuaregs who allowed his release and not the Algerian security services who were contacted at the end of the process.
Speculation around the kidnappers of the Spanish tourist, in the absence of a claim, has focused on the terrorist group “Islamic State in the Greater Sahara” (EIGS). Moreover, the Spanish authorities have directly directed their suspicions towards this group operating in northern Mali.
Also, it should be noted that several extremist groups are found in this region, notably the Jnim (Support Group for Islam and Muslims, linked to Al-Qaeda) which immediately denied its involvement in the kidnapping of the ‘Spanish.
-The transfer of the hostage to the town of Ménaka, a stronghold of the terrorist group EIGS, was one of the kidnappers’ key indications. He was taken the day after his kidnapping on Algerian soil by Malian kidnappers, towards the Malian border near Inguijal, about 100 kilometers north of Ménaka.
This not only demonstrates the weakness of the Algerian security services towards the southern borders, but also seems to confirm the statements of the Malian authorities who accuse Algiers of covering and helping jihadist groups in the north of the country.
The kidnapping of the Spanish national by Malians in Algeria signals the total failure of the Algerian security institution which seems to be incapable of containing the jihadist threat coming from other countries.
These Malian terrorist groups feel so confident that they allowed themselves to commit a kidnapping in Algerian territory, enter and leave with impunity. The incapacity of the Algerian security services can also be read in the press release from the Ministry of Defense which indicated that “the security services of the National People’s Army, received this Tuesday, January 21, 2025, the Spanish national Navaro Canada Joaquim”.
The word is out, they simply proceeded to ” reception “ of the Spanish hostage. The latter indicated that he was “state of shock” since his kidnapping which lasted for a week. “I would need a few days to recover a state of calm,” he admitted.
Faced with this major humiliation, Said Chengriha’s department tried to reap the merits of the release of the Spanish hostage. “This operation demonstrates, once again, the high professionalism of the security services of the People’s National Army (ANP), particularly in the fight against organized crime throughout the national territory”indicated the same press release from the Algerian ministry, even if in reality all the credit goes to the Malian Tuaregs who were the first to announce his release.
