Qatar's Emir and Officials Offer Condolences to Algeria on Former President Zeroual's Death

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent a cable of condolences to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on the death of former Algerian President Liamine Zeroual, expressing his sincere sympathies and offering prayers for the deceased.

Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani also sent separate cables of condolences to President Tebboune, conveying their heartfelt sympathies over the passing of the former head of state.

Zeroual, who served as President of Algeria from 1994 to 1999, passed away at the age of 85. A retired military general, he assumed the presidency during one of the most turbulent periods in Algeria's modern history, as the North African nation grappled with a devastating civil conflict that claimed tens of thousands of lives throughout the 1990s.

Born in 1941 in the city of Batna in northeastern Algeria, Zeroual rose through the ranks of the Algerian military after the country's war of independence from France. He served in several senior defense positions before being appointed head of state by the High Council of State in January 1994, following a period of political upheaval.

During his presidency, Zeroual oversaw Algeria's first multi-candidate presidential election in 1995, in which he secured a decisive mandate. He pursued a policy of national reconciliation aimed at ending the internal conflict, laying the groundwork for the civil concord that his successor, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, would later formalize.

Zeroual surprised many when he announced in September 1998 that he would not seek a second term, opting instead to call early elections. He withdrew from public life following the end of his presidency in April 1999 and remained largely out of the political spotlight in subsequent decades.

The condolences from Qatar's senior leadership underscore the strong bilateral ties between Doha and Algiers, two nations that have maintained close diplomatic relations rooted in shared Arab and Islamic heritage. Qatar and Algeria have cooperated on a range of regional and international issues, including their mutual support for Palestinian rights and their engagement in multilateral forums.

Algeria declared a period of national mourning following Zeroual's death, with flags flown at half-mast across the country as officials and citizens paid tribute to the former wartime president who steered the nation through a critical chapter in its history.