Algerian Radio
The Minister of the Interior, Local Authorities, and Transport, Saïd Sayoud, accompanied by the Director General of Civil Protection, Boualem Bourrelaf, supervised on Monday in Bouira the launch of field exercises as part of the national maneuver SEISMEX 2026, aimed at strengthening operational preparedness for various major risks and potential disasters.
During this visit, the Minister conducted a field tour covering several operational and organizational stages, beginning with a visit to the exercise coordination directorate. There, he was briefed on the progress of operations and the mechanisms for monitoring and executing the maneuver scenario.
The visit also included the central command center, where detailed explanations were provided regarding the command and control system, as well as coordination methods between the various sectoral command centers, ensuring rapid decision-making and effective intervention.
On this occasion, the Minister visited the information cell to observe the media coverage mechanisms adopted to ensure the smooth flow of information and strengthen institutional communication during the maneuver.
The tour also included the advanced veterinary center dedicated to monitoring the health of the canine unit's dogs. The Minister inquired about the procedures in place to ensure their operational readiness during the different phases of the maneuver, as part of preserving the safety of the resources mobilized for intervention.
The Minister also inspected certain support and initial intervention teams, checking their operational readiness, equipment levels, and field coordination mobilized to face the various emergency situations included in the maneuver scenario.
In the same context, the Minister examined the sectoral command centers and learned about their functioning, decision-making mechanisms, and operational coordination with the central command center, ensuring efficiency and coherence in managing the maneuver's progress.
Finally, the Minister inspected the deployment zones of the various teams and specialties, observing their organization on the ground, the availability of human and material resources, and the level of coordination between different specialties to ensure intervention efficiency and rapid response.
On this occasion, the Minister of the Interior, Local Authorities, and Transport expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Civil Protection agents for their efforts and the positive results achieved, praising the high level of professionalism and sense of responsibility they demonstrated in fulfilling their noble missions, while reaffirming his continued support for the Civil Protection corps.
What Is the "SEISMEX 2026" Exercise?
The Directorate General of Civil Protection (DGPC) is organizing one of the largest simulation exercises ever carried out in Algeria, running until February 12. Dubbed "SEISMEX 2026," this national exercise aims to test the mobilization and reaction capabilities of rescue services in the face of a catastrophic scenario: "a magnitude 6.7 earthquake on the Richter scale striking the Southeast of the Wilaya of Bouira."
The scenario developed by experts simulates an earthquake with an epicenter located 14 kilometers from the municipality of Oued El Berdi. The municipalities of Oued El Berdi, Bouira, El Asnam, and Sour El Ghozlane would be directly affected, with a heavy toll including victims, missing persons, and multiple incidents such as building collapses, dam wall failures, traffic accidents, ground subsidence, train derailments, explosions, and hazardous material leaks.
Faced with such an emergency, the exercise provides for the activation of the Organization of Civil Security Response (ORSEC) plan at the Wilaya level, mobilizing all available human and material resources. Operational command posts will be deployed to ensure optimal coordination between the various services and stakeholders.
For the first time in an exercise of this scale, an advanced veterinary post will be set up to care for search dogs that may be injured during operations. Furthermore, building risk assessment teams, composed of 70 officers specially trained in 2025, have been deployed on the ground.
The exercise also incorporates an international dimension by simulating the intervention of foreign rescue teams. An international zone has been established, with three national teams in charge of welcoming and coordinating the actions of rescuers arriving from abroad. Liaison officers are ensuring coordination between different administrations at ports and airports.
No fewer than 6,000 personnel of all ranks are participating in this major exercise, with teams coming from 44 Wilayas representing the First Intervention Reinforcement Detachments (DRPI). These forces cover all specialties, including command, search and rescue/clearing, aquatic and subaquatic diving, intervention in dangerous environments (GRIMP), the canine brigade, CBRN (Nuclear, Radiological, Biological, and Chemical) intervention cells, disaster medicine, transmissions, and logistics. A detachment from the National School of Civil Protection is also participating as an observer.
In total, 549 maneuvers will be carried out during the exercise, directed and supervised by senior officers of the DGPC specialized in disaster management. The organizers have defined several strategic objectives to evaluate response times during major disasters, harmonize operational techniques, measure the effectiveness of the devices developed, test coordination between national and international systems, and evaluate the flow of information through dedicated digital platforms. The exercise will also allow for the creation of a database and the capitalization on lessons learned.
