It is trite knowledge that Algeria is a country that comprises people of diverse culture and origin. At least a quarter of the population of this North African Country is comprises Berbers. During the famous Arab Conquests of the early 8th century, Arabs settled in Algeria and made the country an Islam nation. The most dominant language in Algeria is Arabic language. However, another family known as the Tamazight which comprises a number of Berber tribes also dominates the Maghreb.
The country was colonized be the French during the colonial era in Africa. French colonizers applied the system of divide and rule to ensure that they split these two tribes apart so that they could not amass enough power to resist their rule. By so doing, the French placed a long lasting dichotomy between the Berber and the Arabs so that the two were now enemies. This made it easy to establish its rule on the North African country. The two tribes lived as enemies until 1954 when the country decided to fight for self-rule against the French. The two tribes, therefore, rejected the French-imposed dichotomy and fought the French domination in the country as one people. The country attained independence in 1962 after experiencing a whopping 132 years of French domination.
This union that saw the Algerian freedom fighters send the French back home did not, however, last for long. After independence, the North African country embraced an all-Arab rule which did not recognize the existence or the role played by the Berber population during the struggle for independence. The Berbers were sidelined in the affairs of rebuilding and running the country and this generated a lot of animosity. Since then hitherto, the Berbers have, therefore, held demonstrations, protests and strikes in an attempt to force the Algerian government to enable constitutional recognition of Tamazight as a language and the Berbers as a recognized population. These conflicts have, however, not been intense enough to attract any positive official response of the same.
How President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika has fueled the conflict
President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika of Algeria was elected into office in 199 for the first time with the backing of the ruling party the National Liberation Front. The president is seen by many people as a dictator who uses his power of being the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the North African country to manipulate the military forces to support him. The president, who is 77 years now, is eyeing another term in office for the fourth consecutive term now. He has been seen as too aged to run another term in office and many people are of the view that he should retire.
The president was terminally ill in the year 2013 and had to be hospitalized for more than three months. However, when he returned, he started marshaling his military in an attempt to exert his power and also to prepare for another term in office. He is on record for reshuffling his military directors in a bid to place those people who are loyal to him into office. Many political analysts see him as incapable of holding another term in office because he is very weak now especially after suffering stroke last year. If he insists on running another term, this is likely to escalate the violence that has seen innocent citizens losing their lives and others getting injured.
This week, a number of Algerian newspapers and foreign media reported instances of renewed violence in the city of Ghardana. In this city, police are reported to have been deployed to restore order in the city after clashes pitting the two warring tribes of Berber and Arabs began afresh. Three people are reported to have lost their lives while over two hundred more were left injured and shops burned and destroyed. According to the media, police have suspected that some Arabs had illegally entered the Berber-influenced area of the city of Ghardana.
How the Algerian Law has contributed in fueling the violence
When Algeria attained self-rule in 1962, attempts were made by the political elite to have a constitution that reflected the will of the people of the North African Country. However, this was not to be because the constitution that resulted in 1964, known as the Algiers Charter, which was the de facto constitution, brought division between the two tribes that fought for the country independence from the French. The constitution declared the country as an Arab-Muslim country. This was divisive because it did not recognize the Berber as part of the people making part of the North African country. The constitution also recognized the National Liberation Front as the revolutionary party due to its role in the fight for independence. This came even after there had been differences between the two tribes after independence and the Berber kicked out of the party. In 1989 amendments to the constitution declared the country as an Arab nation which was seen by many people as attempts of “Arabizing” the country and ignoring any other tribe living there. This occurred even after the Berber Cultural Movement strongly opposed the move.
As it stands now, conflicts are likely to go on unless the Algerian legislature amends the constitution to recognize the Berber and do away with the clause that recognizes Arabs as the only people living there. The incumbent president should also be advised not to vie for another term for the sake of peace.
References
Arieff, Alexis. "Algeria: Current Issues." Congressional Research Service, 2013.
Hoffman, Katherine E., and Susan Gilson Mille. "Berbers and Others: Beyond Tribe and Nation in the Maghrib." Indiana University Press, 2010.
Morris, Harvey. "In Algeria, Arab Berber Conflict Recalls Plight of Kurds." Rudaw, 2014.
Watanabe, Lisa. "Religion, Ethnicity and State Formation in Nigeria ." The International Relations and Security Network, 2014.
Yezza, Hicham. "Beyond Arab v Berber: The Rich Complexities of Algerian Identity Should Be Celebrated, Not Feared." openDemocracy, available at http://www.opendemocracy.net/arab-awakening/hicham-yezza/beyond-arab-vs-berber-rich-complexities-of-algerian-identity-should-be-c, 2013.
