President Abdel Fattah El Sisi sent a cable of condolences to people of Algeria over death of Military Chief of Staff General Ahmed Gaid Salah, calling him a respectable person.
“I offer my sincere condolences to President, Government and People of Algeria for the death of the late General Ahmed Gaid Salah, Chief of Staff of the National People's Army,” Sisi tweeted on Monday.
Algerian government radio says Salah died Monday morning in the military hospital of Algiers after a heart attack. Gaid Salah was 79 years old.
In his tweet, Sisi described Salah as “a figure worthy of respect and appreciation, for the efforts he made to achieve stability in Algeria,” wishing that “May God have mercy on him and grant the bereaved family the strength to endure and persevere."
Gaid Salah was seen as the main power broker in Algeria, especially since a pro-democracy movement with his backing pushed out the country's longtime former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April.
His death comes less than a week after Abdelmadjid Tebboune was sworn in as the country’s new president, on December 19. Gaid Salah was present at Tebboune’s inauguration and was considered to be close to the leader.
Tebboune declared an exceptional full week of mourning, in an indication of Gaid Salah's importance.
President Tebboune announced that the head of land forces, General Said Chengriha, would take over as acting chief of staff of the armed forces.
Gaid Salah's funeral will take place on Tuesday, a day on which students have been staging weekly protests for much of the year.
The army remains the most powerful institution in Algeria, a major oil and natural has producer, having swayed politics from the shadows for decades. It has so far patiently monitored the mostly peaceful protests that at times have swelled to hundreds of thousands of people.
Follow the latest news on Google News
