RABAT - Violence continues to spread throughout
Algeria, 12 years after the army aborted elections
Islamists were set to win, prompting an uprising by
Islamic extremists and a conflict which has killed up to
150,000 people, mostly civilians.
In spite
of the mobilization of the country's security forces and
a policy of national reconciliation aimed at
reintegrating former extremists into society, insecurity still
lingers in most of the country, and the presence of
al-Qaeda-linked groups in North Africa has attracted increased
international attention, especially from the United
States.
Security sources on Monday said Muslim
extremists killed four civilians and kidnapped a woman
in an ambush in eastern Algeria. Gunmen posing as army
troops set up a checkpoint on a main road in the
province of Boueira, 120 kilometers east of Algiers,
stopping cars and robbing their passengers. The gunmen
opened fire on one car that failed to stop, killing four
of its passengers. One survivor, a woman, was kidnapped
by the gunmen and taken to their hideout in a nearby
rugged mountain.
In a separate incident last
week, five shepherds were reportedly shot dead by
militants. In early August, the Salafist Group for
Preaching and Combat (GSPC), a major radical militant
group, killed several military and police officers,
while losing several of its own members.
The
country's military has to deploy considerable efforts to
tackle Islamist guerillas. In his first interview, the
newly appointed army chief General Salah Ahmed Gaid told
the military newspaper el-Djeich that the fight against
terrorism remained the priority of the country's armed
forces. There are only small groups still in effect, he
stated, describing them as "more and more insignificant
but still able of [harmful effects] against our isolated
populations".
The GSPC, responsible for the
recent rise in violence, was added to Washington's list
of terrorist organizations in March 2002. Although a
heteroclite organization, it is the biggest militant
group in North Africa. Since its creation in 1998 by
former Armed Islamic Group (GIA) fighters, it has fought
against Algerian authorities to replace the secular
government with a hardline Islamic regime. More
recently, the group has radicalized its positions and
vowed allegiance to al-Qaeda.
Washington is
concerned about the presence of al-Qaeda-linked groups
in North Africa, and has stepped up military cooperation
and technical assistance to Algiers since September 11,
2001, fearing an implementation of terrorist groups in
the Sahel (sub-Saharan) region through the GSPC.
"The West has changed its side and has
expressed its support to the [Algerian] government," said
Azzedine Layachi, a political-science professor at St John's
University in the US, drawing attention to Algeria's
expertise in dealing with terrorist networks.
The murder of GSPC leader Nabil Sahraoui in June
by the Algerian army, as well as the capture by Chadian
rebels of its No 2, Abderrazak el-Para, a former
Algerian military officer wanted for the murder of 42
Algerian soldiers and the kidnapping of 32 European
tourists in 2003, has been seen by both US and Algerian
officials as a major setback for al-Qaeda operations in
the Sahara region.
Last week, the group
announced the name of its new leader - Abou Mossab
Abdelwadoud - although it still has not confirmed
Sahraoui's death, according to the daily newspaper
el-Watan. In a communique last month, the GSPC
nonetheless admitted that six of its leaders were
unaccounted for, including Sahraoui.
According
to Jonathan Schanzer, a researcher at the Washington
Institute, cooperation between the US and Algeria has
led to numerous successes on the terrorism front, with
several GSPC leaders killed or captured.
"The threat of GSPC in Algeria appears to have
diminished somewhat thanks to the killing of Sahraoui and
the capture of el-Para. Few leaders appear to be
left standing," he said. "The idea now is to help
Algeria keep the GSPC marginalized," he added, "but this
will not mean that Algeria should be a major theater. It
is one among many where the US is helping the local
government take steps to neutralize an al-Qaeda
affiliate group."
The country has also been
battling terrorism on the domestic front with a
controversial amnesty policy launched in 1999.
Initially, the Civil Concord Law, negotiated by the army
and later approved by a referendum in September 1999,
only applied to extremists who had not committed
blood-related crimes.
But
opponents argue that the
law failed to provide justice for the horrors attributed
to terrorist groups and accused recently
re-elected President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of
being soft on terror. In some areas, inhabitants
protested against the law, saying that amnesties had
been "distributed" to criminals, while former terrorists
praised the crimes they committed on their return to
civil society.
Still, authorities continue to
claim that the law has encouraged the dismantlement of
terrorist groups and greatly reduced violence. The
concord in fact led to the dissolution of only one major
group, the AIS - Islamic Liberation Army - the armed
wing of the the Islamic Salvation Front, a former
Islamist party, with 5,000 militants surrendering their
weapons. It also encouraged a split inside the GSPC
between members who favored surrender and those opposed
to any deal with authorities.
The policy of
national reconciliation "has contributed to reduced
violence", said Layachi. "It's a contribution to the
alchemy, but it's not the only element."
But as
Schanzer stressed, the amnesty policy failed to rid the
country of radical groups like the GSPC. "This amnesty
worked in the context of civil war. Many of the factions
did lay down their weapons. The problem is that amnesty
means nothing for groups like the GIA and GSPC," he
explained, noting that 800 people were killed last year
in Algeria in terrorist-related violence. "The more
radical groups are not interested in national
reconciliation, particularly when they view the Algerian
government and its supporters as infidels."
On
the eve of Algeria's independence day in July,
Bouteflika addressed opponents, declaring that "the
national reconciliation is not incompatible with the
struggle against terrorism, as long as the latter aims
at restoring the security and the authority of the
state".
And many youngsters in the streets of
Algiers believe that under Bouteflika they can go out
and start to enjoy their lives again, and that it's
worth continuing to pursue the reconciliation policy,
even with its failures. "People have associated
Bouteflika to security and stability," said Layachi.
"Life has started again and no one wants to put this at
risk."
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