Tebessa explosion: Terror phobia chases Algeria again

Amira Sherif

Five civilians were killed and three others wounded when their car exploded in Tebessa province in eastern Algeria, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense.

This attack is the bloodiest in years and comes at a time when the country is experiencing the worst political and economic crisis with the absence of President Abdulmajid Tebboune for the second time since he assumed power, as he returned for treatment in Germany from the consequences of the corona virus.

A statement by the Algerian Ministry of Defense said, “Today, five civilians died and three others were wounded following the explosion of a homemade bomb, when the utility vehicle in which the victims were on board passed through the Kheni Roum valley in the municipality of Tlidjene, Tebessa province.”

The statement did not reveal any other details, but the general atmosphere in Algeria has been tense since the end of last year after the return of figures from the regime of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was forced to resign following popular protests that lasted for months, rejecting his candidacy for a fifth presidential term.

In a tweet, President Tebboune described the attack as a “cowardly and barbaric act” and offered his condolences to the families of the victims.

The Chief of Staff of the Army, Lieutenant General Saïd Chengriha, urged “the citizens to be careful and vigilant, and to avoid moving on suspicious routes, which the residents of the region are familiar with.”

Algeria is facing a political crisis due to a vacuum created by the travel of Tebboune, who is not very popular due to being one of the figures of the former regime, for treatment for the second time in Germany, while he did not exercise any of his constitutional duties except for his signing of the Finance Law for the year 2021 to avoid paralysis in state institutions, as well as secondary decisions.

The Algerian Ministry of Defense also announced in its statement that a jihadist had been eliminated in the neighboring Khenchela province as part of counterterrorism efforts, without establishing a link between the two incidents.

The ministry added, “After a tight ambush was set up in Wadi Bodkhan in Khenchela province, a detachment of the People’s National Army was able to eliminate a dangerous terrorist and retrieve a submachine gun, three full clips, a portable transmitter and receiver, and two mobile phones,” explaining that the operation is continuing in Khenchela.

The Algerian authorities use the term “terrorist” to refer to the Islamist militants who have been fighting since the civil war (1992-2002).

Last year, the army, gendarmerie and police forces succeeded in curbing terrorist activities, with the exception of mobile activities in rugged mountains in more than one area.

Nine militants and four soldiers have been killed during confrontations since the beginning of December, according to the Defense Ministry, which also announced the arrest of terrorists in several areas.

Despite the establishment of a charter for peace and reconciliation in 2005 in an attempt to turn the page on the “black decade” (1992-2002) of the civil war that claimed about 200,000 people, armed groups are still active, especially in the east of the country.

The Algerian army, in the outcome of its operations for the year 2020, indicated that 21 militants were “eliminated”, nine were arrested, and seven others surrendered.

The army added that it arrested 108 “elements of support for terrorist groups.”

The army killed 15 militants and arrested 25 others in 2019.

It also seized 40 machine guns, 25 automatic pistols, 249 rifles of different types, 391 bombs and mines of different types in 2020.

Algeria is experiencing concerns about the political stalemate and the worsening economic crisis due to the repercussions of the corona pandemic and the decline in oil revenues, the most important source of income, while terrorism has returned again at a worse rate, especially since the country is connected by vast borders with Mali and Libya, both of which are witnessing security chaos and an escalation of extremist violence.

Islamist parties, some of them from the Brotherhood, are seeking to return to the arena in light of the political turmoil, taking advantage of the regime’s inability to address the existing crises, but the legacy of the black decade has made it lose much of its momentum.