Llamado a las ciudadanas y ciudadanos argelinos
Estimados compatriotas,
La carta adjunta constituye una advertencia oficial dirigida a las embajadas extranjeras, así como a las empresas multinacionales activas en el sector petrolero y minero en Argelia. Recuerda que la nueva ley minera, adoptada recientemente por un parlamento carente de legitimidad popular, compromete a nuestro país en contra de la voluntad soberana del pueblo y en detrimento de nuestros recursos estratégicos, de nuestro medio ambiente y del futuro de nuestras generaciones venideras.
Por ello, hacemos un llamado a todas las ciudadanas y ciudadanos argelinos, en Argelia y en el extranjero, para que se apropien de esta iniciativa y envíen masivamente esta carta a las embajadas concernidas y a las sedes de las empresas petroleras y mineras implicadas o interesadas. Se adjuntarán las direcciones postales y electrónicas de estas instituciones para facilitar esta acción colectiva.
Mediante esta movilización pacífica y organizada, afirmamos ante la comunidad internacional que el pueblo argelino no reconoce la legitimidad de esta ley ni de los contratos que de ella se deriven, y que sigue siendo el único poseedor de la soberanía sobre sus riquezas naturales.
Carta a los embajadores y directivos de empresas:
Subject: Official Warning Regarding Mining Agreements Concluded Under the New Law Adopted in Algeria
To the attention of:
Their Excellencies, the Ambassadors accredited in Algeria,
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Representatives and Leaders of companies operating in the extractive sector.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
We have the honor to address this communication to you concerning the new mining law recently adopted by the Algerian parliament.
This adoption raises a fundamental question of legitimacy: this parliament, born of an electoral process marked by massive abstention and profound popular rejection, does not genuinely represent the sovereign will of the Algerian people. Consequently, the strategic decisions it takes—particularly regarding the exploitation of natural resources—cannot bind the nation in a lasting and irreversible manner.
Beyond this legitimacy deficit, the law itself suffers from serious shortcomings. It paves the way for excessive liberalization of the mining sector, without sufficient safeguards in terms of transparency, public oversight, social accountability, and environmental protection. It also fails to guarantee the consultation of local populations and to safeguard Algeria’s long-term strategic interests.
Even more seriously, this legal framework provides no solid protection against environmental risks associated with certain forms of exploitation. The prospect of unconventional activities, such as shale gas extraction, poses grave threats to fragile ecosystems and to the Albian aquifer. This transboundary aquifer, recognized as a global strategic reserve, is a vital resource for the future of millions of people in the Maghreb and the Sahel. Its contamination would represent an irreversible ecological and human disaster.
In this context, we solemnly recall that all agreements, concessions, and licenses granted under this law will be deemed inconsistent with the sovereign will of the Algerian people and will, in due course, be subject to systematic review. They may be renegotiated, suspended, or annulled once democratic legitimacy has been restored.
This principle is rooted in international law regarding the permanent sovereignty of peoples over their natural resources, as well as in universal standards of good governance, transparency, and environmental responsibility.
We therefore call on partner governments, diplomatic missions, and economic actors to exercise prudence and responsibility. Sustainable economic relations can only thrive on the basis of recognized legality and genuine popular consent. Any contractual commitment concluded under this law, in the absence of legitimacy, will be exposed to serious political, legal, and reputational risks.
Please accept, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, the assurances of our highest consideration.
Contactos de las embajadas y de las empresas mineras y petroleras:
