3 August 2004
General Muhamed Lamari, the head of Algeria's army, resigned for non-specific health reasons. Lamari had played a key role in the fight against Islamic fighters. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika stated that Lamari would be succeeded by General Salah Ahmed Gaid, commander of ground forces and an ally of his, as chief military staff. Lamari had been an influential figure in the Algerian army, and led the army in a fight against Islamist rebels since 1992, when the army had seized power as a radical Muslim party was on the verge of an electoral victory.
References

BBC (2004).‘Algerian army chief steps down’, from BBC News, 3 August, [online], Available at: news.bbc.co.uk[Accessed: 30 July 2014]|Middle East Online (2004), ‘Strongman army chief resigns’, 3 August, [online], Available at: www.middle-east-online.com[Accessed: 30 July 2014]