A travel warning issued by the Algerian army, which deployed military medical units and intensified its efforts to contain the spread of epidemics in the southern part of the country, shows that the authorities are attempting to justify their inability to curb malaria and diphtheria outbreaks, blaming their delayed response on neighboring countries, though they did not name them.

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There is no justification for a travel warning to neighboring countries since the health problem is within southern Algeria and requires a thorough solution instead of seeking excuses to silence the voices denouncing the authorities’ delayed response after the crisis escalated, resulting in deaths across multiple provinces. Authorities say they have started filling dozens of ponds believed to be one of the causes of the outbreak in the oil and gas-rich but neglected southern region.

The Algerian authorities are struggling to deal with the spread of malaria and diphtheria in several southern provinces and to contain the controversy stirred by the resurgence of these epidemics, amid criticisms pointing to the lack of health monitoring and basic services in numerous areas. The Algerian Ministry of Defense’s call to avoid traveling to unnamed neighboring countries reflects a desire to blame their governments, even though Algeria reported over two thousand malaria cases in 2020.

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The Algerian newspaper El Khabar reported that the “Ministry of National Defense mobilized specialized medical teams and resources from the Central Directorate of Military Health to contain the spread of certain diseases and epidemics such as diphtheria and malaria in the provinces of Bordj Badji Mokhtar and In Guezzam.”

Algerian media outlets indicated that authorities launched awareness campaigns, warning southern provinces’ residents about “the risks of traveling to neighboring countries,” asserting that “these countries are experiencing the spread of these epidemics.”

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This warning suggests that the Algerian government is attempting to convince residents in malaria and diphtheria-infected areas that the contagion originates from neighboring countries, thus deflecting accusations of negligence in providing healthcare for southern residents. However, reports based on testimonies indicate that this region bears the cost of years of marginalization.

On September 27, Algeria’s Ministry of Health announced the “registration of malaria and diphtheria cases in the country’s south,” stating that “all recorded cases were among expatriates who illegally entered the country from neighboring countries.” Algeria previously recorded around 2,726 malaria cases in 2020, with three fatalities.

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Recent videos on social media from residents of southern Algeria show pleas for authorities to intervene against the malaria outbreak. Witnesses confirm that the epidemic has claimed dozens of lives, buried in mass graves due to a lack of medical equipment and delays in vaccine administration.

Several associations called for “the deployment of specialized medical teams to treat malaria and diphtheria cases and the provision of emergency food aid,” pointing out that “malnutrition among some nomadic families compromises immunity and resistance to diseases.”

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Observers argue that the return of epidemics to Algeria raises questions about President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s claims that his country has the best healthcare system in Africa, while the reality reveals a failure in malaria prevention, a disease that some developing African countries have effectively controlled.

Activists also noted that the Algerian authorities’ lack of transparency regarding the spread of malaria and diphtheria has sparked panic among southern residents, with some accusing the government of leaving them to face the epidemic alone.