Nabil Benhamza takes over as head of the DCSA
As Maghreb Confidential foresaw, colonel Nabil Benhamza has been named as head of the DCSA army central security directorate, according to our sources, Benhamza comes to the DCSA from the DSI internal security directorate, which he took over during the summer, This constant reshuffling enables army chief of staff Ahmed Gaïd Salah to keep control of this ultra-strategic intelligence service which has taken over a large part of the attributions of the former DRS intelligence and security service.
Ahmed Gaid Salah plans new intelligence reform
An umpteenth reorganisation of Algeria's intelligence services looks to be on the way. According to our sources, army chief of staff Ahmed Gaid Salah is planning over the coming months to make new intelligence reform, Even before this "big bang" , DCSA boss Colonel Abdelouahab could hand over to Nabli Benhamza, head of the DCSA, the army's own security service, is now de facto coordinator of all the services which at one time answered to the DRS intelligence and security department officially, however, the head of the DSI domestic security service and the DRT technical intelligence service for wire tapping and interception, have still to be appointed by presidential decree. It is clear that the fate of the "oligarchs" imprisoned since the fall of Bouteflika in April is going to be a key question for the future new government.
Intelligence: Ahmed Gaid Salah recreates his own "DRS"
Army chief of staff Ahmed Gaid Salah is manoeuvring furiously to strengthen his hold over post-Bouteflika Algeria. He has set about turning the Army . Central Security Directorate, the DCSA, into an all-powerful intelligence service comparable to the former Intelligence and security service DRS .Since the end of May, the DCSA has been under the command of a mysterious Colonel Abdelouahab and the DRT under that of Colonel Smail Afadjene since the end of April. Both had the same tasks in the 5th military region (east), which is especially dear to Gaid Salah since it includes his hometown of Annaba, his political fiefdom ,
The creation of a central criminal police service within the DCSA by a decree issued by interim president Abdelkader Bensalah on June 18 will give him control of prosecutions for offences involving state security violations, which have become more numerous now that repression is being used against the protests which are part of Algerian daily life, such offences were dealt with under the penal code by the criminal police, controlled by the Ministry of the Interior's General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI).which was a part of the former president's security services coordinator (CSS), Athmane 'Bechir' Tartag, that intelligence Security Directorate (DRS) was headed by his archrival Mohamed 'Toufik' Mediene,until its break-up in 2015 the latter, who has been in prison since May 4, is continuing to obsess Gaid Salah , who is convinced that he still has "deep tate" contact networks and that he is fanning the flames of the protest movement, despite the police and the judiciary obey his every command , however, the general is struggling to impose "his" political transition process on the country .Gaid Salah, interim president Abdelkader Bensalah and prime minister Noureddine Bedoui still want to organise elections as quickly as possible and are But former prime minister Ali Benflis and Islamist leaders Abderrazak Makri (MSP) and Abdallah Djaballah (Al Adala) are continuing to demandto demand guarantees. They are hoping that they can persuade the most "credible" opposition figures, Gaid Salah could try to forge closer relations with other Islamist movements as has been demonstrated by the election of Slimane Chenine as head of the National Popular Assembly APN on July 10
