Algeria launches first international news channel following fall-out with France, Morocco

Algeria launches first international news channel following fall-out with France, Morocco
Algeria launched its first international news channel on Monday which is set to cover local and international current affairs in three languages, falling in line with the country's foreign policy.
2 min read
02 November, 2021
The new channel will be headquartered in the Algerian capital [Getty]

A new Algerian television channel went live on Monday - the first international news broadcaster in the Maghreb region.

Headquartered in the capital Algiers, the AL 24 News channel took a year to set up and will consist of an editorial team comprising of 70 journalists who have worked in both state and international media institutions.

Its launch coincided with the anniversary of the 1954 Algerian War of liberation from its former coloniser, France, which falls on 1 November.

Salim Aqar, the channel's general manager - who is also a journalist and filmmaker - said that Al 24 News "will be a voice for Algeria abroad".

"[It will be] a channel of support for diplomatic, political, economic, social and cultural goals for Algeria abroad, where it will broadcast round the clock," he told reporters.

The channel will be in line with the nation’s foreign policy and comes following tense relations with France and deteriorating relations with neighbouring Morocco.

Algiers ended diplomatic ties with Rabat in the summer over issues related to the Western Sahara region and the Moroccan-Israeli normalisation deal.

Al 24 News will be independent from state-run television, broadcasting both local and international news with programmes in Arabic, French, and English.

"Sixty percent will be in Arabic, 35 percent in French, and five percent in English, with priority given to international news," he said.

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