Daily Archives: 30 December, 2011

Short Algeria Link List

A few Algeria-related links:

  1. ‘MSP: Partira… partira pas?’ El Watan,  30 December, 2011.
    1. The MSP (Algeria’s Ikhwan) is scheduled to announce its shura council’s decision on whether or not to leave or remain in the ruling coalition with the FLN and RND. This short article describes a schism within the party and some of the politics around it. Worth reading in the context of the previous post on this blog and the parliamentary election due to take place in five months.
  2. ‘Ahmed Hadjadj. Président de l’APC de Berriane «Une certaine appréhension à l’approche des élections”,’ El Watan, 30 December, 2011.
    1. This is an update on the ethno-sectarian disturbances that took place in Berriane, Ghardaia province between Ibadhite Berber (‘Mzabites’, ‘Mozabites’) and Sunni Arab (‘Chaambas’, ‘Malikites’, ‘Sunnis’ ‘Arabes’) residents, mainly youths. The interviews with the president of the local assembly and touches on the government’s efforts to diffuse socio-economic tensions there. The Berriane crisis was covered on this blog in 2009 and 2010; a pact between local elders and government leaders was negotiated in 2010. The interview is an interesting update on this situation. Take it with a grain of salt, of course.
  3. ‘Algeria: Exception in Arab Turmoil,’ Xinhua, 30 December, 2011.
    1. An interesting take on a question asked many, many times this year. It lets the reader know ties between Beijing and Algiers remain firm. A superior analysis can be seen here, at Fair Observer, although this reader dislikes the idea of ‘silence’, as Algerians were not silent in 2011 and there were important political protest trends; things did happen but they were different from what happened elsewhere for very important reasons, some of which the FO piece gets at skillfully.
  4. ‘Les dirigeants de l’ex-FIS publient un mémorandum,’ TSA, 28 December, 2011.
    1. The leaders of the ex-FIS are planning to campaign ‘at the United Nations and other international bodies’ to protest their continued exclusion from politics by the new political parties law. Related story at El Khabar.
  5. ‘Réformes politiques, niveau de vie, libertés, SNMG, allègement du credoc, boom des importations…2011, L’année des désillusions,’ El Watan, 29 December, 2011.
    1. A summary of big socio-economic trends and events in Algeria in 2011. The author is not ecstatic.
  6. ‘Bouira: les habitants de Thilioua ferment la mairie d’Ath Lakser,’ El Watan, 26 December, 2011.
    1. This article deals with a frequent occurrence in some towns and rural parts of Algeria, not just in 2011 but over the last several years, where local people will shut down local municipal or communal offices and property over some set of grievances. One sees articles about this sort of thing on and off, it is important to consider these sorts of things when reading articles about how ‘nothing’ happened in Algeria in 2011 or the like; things did happen all the time, though it was not of the same character in other parts of the region.
  7. ‘Draâ El Mizan (Tizi Ouzou): des villageois ferment la RN 25,’ El Watan, 26 December, 2011.
    1. This is included for the same reasons as above (no. 6).