The president of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, has dismissed the Interior Minister, Said Sayoud, and has decided to return the leadership of this ministry to Brahim Merad, who already held the position between 2022 and September 2025. This adjustment is part of a slight reconfiguration of the country's Maghreb Executive.
According to a brief statement released by the Algerian Presidency on social media, Merad takes over the Interior portfolio again, while Sayoud moves to occupy the Ministry of Transport. For the moment, the specific reasons for this change have not been made public.
Sayoud had been appointed in September 2025 to head a 'super ministry' that grouped Interior, Local Communities, and Transport, then replacing Merad in the first department. With the current change, his responsibilities are reduced, and he is limited again to Transport, as was the case before that reorganization a little over a year ago.
This move comes just days after Tebboune reprimanded Sayoud for his words about the rising price of tomatoes, in a clear public disavowal after the minister declared that "never in his 60 years of life had he seen tomatoes at 200 dinars (around 1.3 euros) per kilogram in the month of August."
"When one loves Algeria and the Algerians, one does not sell tomatoes at 200 dinars per kilo in the month of August," Sayoud stated. "I am 60 years old and have never seen tomatoes at 200 dinars in August. It had never exceeded 20 dinars. Whoever does that does not love either Algeria or the Algerians," he emphasized, remarks that triggered criticism from the head of state.
Tebboune, in power since December 2019, has pushed for several government reshuffles since his arrival at the Presidency, as a result of the elections called after the resignation of the historic leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was forced to leave office after massive protests against his attempt to run for re-election despite being practically incapacitated by health problems.