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Algeria - Security

The U.S. State Department rates Algeria a medium threat country for crime. However, Algeria experienced its lowest level of terrorist activity since 1992, when a civil war between the Algerian government and Islamic extremists erupted following flawed elections. Political violence has declined since the widespread terrorism of the 1990s. The government's effort to reduce terrorism through military pressure and social reconciliation and reintegration has been markedly effective. However, incidents of terrorism, including suicide bombings against government and international organization installations, occurred in 2006 and 2007, and armed attacks against army and police continue sporadically to this day. In 2007, a group of Algerian terrorists known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (French acronym GSPC) formally affiliated itself with al-Qa'ida and assumed the name al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

The social discontent enables al-Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to find a steady supply of recruits but not enough to threaten stability. There are terror-related attacks almost daily now, usually in the mountains east of Algiers. (There are occasional attacks in southern and western Algeria now too.) AQIM and other Islamist extremists usually hit Algerian security forces, but there are regular threats against Western interests, especially French and American. The terrorists' tactics have not much changed except in one important manner: nine suicide car bomb attacks since April 2007. AQIM can't threaten the government's stability but it has hurt the credibility of Bouteflika's national amnesty program; it likely weakened him in internal debates with the Algerian hard-liners inside the security force leadership. It has hurt the credibility of the Algerian security forces among the Algerian public and the Western community.

The Algerian security forces achieved several successes against the country's primary terrorist threat, al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Although AQIM continued to conduct attacks against Algerian security forces in 2009, the group failed to conduct additional large-scale, high-lethality attacks similar to its 2007 attack on a United Nations building and the Algerian Supreme Court in Algiers.

The militant Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) won more than 50% of all votes cast in municipal elections in June 1990 as well as in the first stage of national legislative elections held in December 1991. Faced with the real possibility of a sweeping FIS victory, the National People's Assembly was dissolved by presidential decree on January 4, 1992. On January 11, under pressure from the military leadership, President Chadli Bendjedid resigned. On January 14, a five-member High Council of State was appointed by the High Council of Security to act as a collegiate presidency and immediately canceled the second round of elections. This action, coupled with political uncertainty and economic turmoil, led to a violent reaction by Islamists.

Facing sporadic outbreaks of violence and terrorism, the security forces took control of the FIS offices in early February 1992, and the High Council of State declared a state of emergency. Despite efforts to restore the political process, violence and terrorism dominated the Algerian landscape during the 1990s.

Algerians went to the polls in April 1999. On the eve of the election, all candidates except Abdelaziz Bouteflika pulled out amid charges of widespread electoral fraud. Bouteflika, the candidate who appeared to enjoy the backing of the military, as well as the FLN and the RND party regulars, won. He was inaugurated on April 27, 1999 for a 5-year term. In the years since Bouteflika was first elected, the security situation in Algeria has improved markedly.

Terrorism, however, has not been totally eliminated, and terrorist incidents still occur, particularly in the provinces of Boumerdes, Tizi-Ouzou, and in the remote southern areas of the country. Suicide attacks against a government building and a provincial police station on April 11, 2007 killed over 20 persons. A twin suicide attack on December 11, 2007 destroyed the UN headquarters in Algiers as well as the Constitutional Council, killing at least 60 people according to some accounts. Since that time, Algerian Government counterterrorism operations have greatly limited terrorists' capacity to conduct high-profile attacks, particularly in major Algerian cities. Nevertheless, terrorists continue to carry out lethal operations in towns and rural areas sporadically, using ambushes and roadside bombs against government and civilian targets. Terrorists also occasionally kidnap civilians to obtain ransoms to finance their operations.

In September 2005, Algeria passed a referendum in favor of President Bouteflika's Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, paving the way for implementing legislation that would pardon certain individuals convicted of armed terrorist violence. The Charter builds upon the Civil Concord and the Rahma (clemency) Law of the late 1990s and shields from prosecution anyone who laid down arms in response to those previous amnesty offers. The Charter specifically excludes from amnesty those involved in mass murders, rapes, or the use of explosives in public places. The window for combatants to receive amnesty expired in September 2006, though its terms may still be applied on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Algerian president. Approximately 2,500 Islamists were released under the Charter, many of whom may have returned to militant groups in Algeria.

The Algerian government has fought Islamic militants since the 1992 cancellation of National Assembly elections. The ensuing conflict has ebbed and flowed for the last 18 years, although violence has diminished considerably from its height in the 1990s. However, the threat of militant violence is still present. AQIM is the most active terrorist group in Algeria. Although AQIM's primary target is the Algerian government and its institutions, AQIM has also conducted attacks against foreign interests, particularly within the Sahel. To finance its current operations, AQIM has targeted western personnel for kidnap and ransoms. AQIM's ongoing operations within the Sahel have prompted many western governments to identify the region as an area of concern for terrorist-related activity. Many governments have warned against traveling or working in this region.

In 2009 Algeria experienced its lowest level of terrorist-related violence since the conflict began in 1992. The decline in terrorist-related violence is likely attributable to Algerian security successes against AQIM. In addition, the Algerian security forces have diminished the group's resources and capabilities, reducing AQIM's near-term threat. Open source media reports have indicated that AQIM's domestic recruitment initiatives are at an all time low, and AQIM's support with the Algerian community has been eroded. However, AQIM's recruitment initiatives in other countries increased in 2009, particularly within the Sahel.

The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) infrequently released information concerning the total number of terrorist, civilian, and security force deaths. During 2009, security forces killed, injured, or arrested approximately 1,300 suspected terrorists. According to press reports of official estimates, the total number of deaths was 804. Of these deaths, suspected terrorists killed 66 civilians and 220 security force members; security forces killed an estimated 518 suspected terrorists. These numbers increased from the 321 deaths reported in 2008. Most of the terrorist attacks during 2009 were attributed to the terrorist group al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which emerged in January 2007 after the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) allied itself with al-Qa'ida in 2006.

The year 2009 was marked by significant violence. On March 9, a suicide bomber killed two communal guards in Tadmait, 43 miles east of Algiers. On June 17, terrorists ambushed, shot, and killed 18 national gendarmerie officers and injured dozens more near the town of Mansourah in Bordj Bou Arreridj. On July 29, terrorists attacked a military supply convoy in Damous, 90 miles west of Algiers, killing 23 and wounding seven others. On October 22, terrorists killed seven and wounded three Algerian security guards working for a Canadian water project. AQIM claimed responsibility for all of these attacks. Minister of the Interior Noureddine Zerhouni stated in July 2008 that an estimated 400 terrorists operated in the country.

Instances of civil unrest increased in Algeria in 2009. Demonstrations and riots were reported in various areas of Algeria, including Algiers which experienced violent riots when residents of Diar Echems, a residential area east of Algiers, clashed with Algerian police over poor housing and living conditions. Injuries were sustained by both parties and numerous arrests were made. Riots and demonstrations were also reported in Tizi Ouzou, Boumerdes, Tipaza, and other wilayas.

Riot and demonstration participants were from various socio-economic groups. They included teachers, doctors, students, military veterans, and unskilled laborers. These demonstrations focused on a number of social and economic issues, including cost of living, lack of housing, poor road conditions, inadequate salaries, poor quality schools, and the perceived deterioration of living conditions in Algeria.

Organized crime groups involved in money laundering, counterfeiting, auto theft, and drug trafficking are an emerging security concern in Algeria. The Algerian government is dedicating additional security resources to combat these criminal enterprises. However, terrorism continues to be the primary security concern for Algerian security forces.

Algeria has the fourth highest accident rate in the world and the highest rate in both North Africa and the Middle East. Deaths caused by car accidents increased by 7 percent in the first half of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. In the city of Algiers, 1,835 people died in traffic accidents in 2009. The nationwide average is around 5,000 deaths annually. Algeria's road infrastructure and traffic management resources are inadequate for the growing number of vehicles within the country. The Algerian government is attempting to address this issue by increasing the number of paved roads. In addition, the government continues to tout an urban metro rail station as the primary solution to urban traffic congestion. However, construction of the metro system has been plagued by delays. Although poor road conditions play a significant role in the country's high rate of traffic fatalities, other factors, including poorly maintained vehicles, defective and pirated auto parts, driver fatigue, and reckless and unskilled drivers also contribute to the high rate of traffic fatalities. The Algerian government has implemented stricter licensing requirements and has introduced other measures to decrease vehicular accidents and fatalities, including removing older vehicles from the roads, reducing work hours for public service vehicle drivers, and barring heavy transport vehicles in Algiers during the day.

The U.S. Government considers the potential threat to U.S. Embassy personnel assigned to Algiers sufficiently serious to require them to live and work under significant security restrictions. These practices limit, and may occasionally prevent, the movement of U.S. Embassy officials and the provision of consular services in certain areas of the country. The Algerian Government requires U.S. Embassy personnel to seek permission to travel to the Casbah within Algiers or outside the province of Algiers and to have a security escort. Travel to the military zone established around the Hassi Messaoud oil center requires Government of Algeria authorization. Daily movement of Embassy personnel in Algiers is limited, and prudent security practices are required at all times. Travel by Embassy personnel within the city requires prior coordination with the Embassy's Regional Security Office. American visitors are encouraged to contact the Embassy's Consular Section for the most recent safety and security information concerning travel to the city of Algiers.