Call to Algerian Citizens
Dear compatriots,
The attached letter constitutes an official warning addressed to foreign embassies as well as to multinational companies active in the oil and mining sector in Algeria. It recalls that the new mining law, recently adopted by a parliament lacking popular legitimacy, commits our country against the sovereign will of the people and to the detriment of our strategic resources, our environment, and the future of our coming generations.
We therefore call on all Algerian citizens, in Algeria and abroad, to take ownership of this initiative and to send this letter en masse to the embassies concerned and to the headquarters of the oil and mining companies involved or interested. The postal and email addresses of these institutions will be attached to facilitate this collective action.
Through this peaceful and organized mobilization, we affirm before the international community that the Algerian people do not recognize the legitimacy of this law nor of the contracts that will result from it, and that they remain the sole holders of sovereignty over their natural resources.
Letter to ambassadors and company leaders:
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.
Contacts of embassies and mining and oil companies:
