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In Pictures: Ethnic strife in Algeria

Violence has broken out and old rivalries rekindled in the historic Algerian city of Ghardaia.

Calm prevails in the market square in Ghardaia.
By Mohamed Kaouche
Published On 12 Mar 2014

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Ghardaia, Algeria – The town of Ghardaia, 600km south of Algiers, is home to both ethnic Arab Chaambas and to Mozabite Berbers who practice the Ibadi form of Islam.

In February, a long-running ethnic conflict between the two groups, which dates back to 1962, when the Chaambas, who won the backing of Algeria’s ruling National Liberation Front (FLN), branded the Mozabites as bourgeois reactionaries.

The dispute was rekindled when the Algerian government launched a social housing project for the Mozabites. This angered many Arabs in the city, who accused the authorities of bias against them. 

This region of Algeria is plagued by unemployment and ethnic tensions, and similar strife erupted in 1985 and 2008. But the latest round of unrest has been the most intense. Security forces have been deployed to the area, five people were killed and several more wounded. Homes were set on fire, businesses were looted, and mausoleums and cemeteries were desecrated.

Yet although calm has been restored, everyone remains cautious.
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Graves were desecrated at the Ami Said cemetery for Ibadis.
A room where corpses were washed before being buried was set alight.
Assailants demolished the Mausoleum of Ami Moussa, a World Heritage site.
The houses of Mozabites in the Baba Oueldjma neighbourhood have been marked.
Residents of Baba Oueldjma question the motives of the attacks.
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Thirty-four-year-old Khbaiti Saleh(***)s house was looted and set on fire.
The clashes paralysed economic activity in the area.
Some victims say the drug mafia is behind the attacks.
"Thanks to God, my brother and I managed to escape," said Khbaiti Zakaria.
At least 220 families fled their homes.
The Mermed neighbourhood, where the two communities coexisted, has been shaken by the clashes.
Tichaabat Mohamed, a 30-year-old tradesman, says that after the fire, he doesn(***)t know what to do for his three daughters.
Residents started to repair the damage, saying that a few days(***) strife will not destroy an area built over centuries.