Gendarmerie Nationale (Algeria)

The Gendarmerie Nationale (Arabic: الدرك الوطني), is the national gendarmerie force of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria. As part of the Algerian Armed Forces is commanded by a major general who reports directly to the Minister of National Defense. It was created in 1962 by Decree No.019-62 of 23 August 1962 shortly after its independence. In 2012 the gendarmerie consists of 130,000 personnel. Although generally regarded as a versatile and competent paramilitary force, the gendarmerie has been severely tested in dealing with civil disorder since 1988. It frequently has lacked sufficient manpower at the scene of disorder and its units have been inadequately trained and equipped for riot control. The gendarmerie, however, has demonstrated the ability to root out terrorist groups operating from mountain hideouts.

The current commander is General Nouredine Gouasmia, who succeeded General Abderrahmane Arar in 2020.