From: jisrawi@PHYSICS.RUTGERS.EDU
Newsgroups: soc.culture.turkish
Subject: Algeria: it is time to rallye on the side of people
Date: 21 Aug 92 13:45:27 GMT


 
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************The New York Times --- Thursday, August 20, 1992***************
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Crackdown Seems to lead Algeria Into Chaos
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By Youssef M. Ibrahim
 
Tunis, Aug. 14-- The Algerian Govnmnt plans "drastic measures" to prevent 
political activity in mosques.
 
The action, announced Aug. 13, was the latest indication that the seven month 
campaign of repression, press censorship, mass arrests of Islamic 
fundamentalists and stiff jail sentences has failed to stem a rising wave of 
public discontent.
 
Diplomats and officials in Tunisia and in Morocco say the evident LOSS OF 
CONTROL by the Algerian government is giving rise to fears that the nation of 
26 million people is moving steadily toward a total collapse of law and order.
 
"If Algeria sinks into chaos, the ONLY CREDIBLE POLITICAL FORCE  in that 
country that can take over is that of the Islamic Fundamentalists, and that's 
bad news for Tunisia and Morocco, which have a serious fundamentalist problem 
of their own," a western diplomat said.
 
In recent weeks signs of disintegration have multiplied as the economy ground 
to a halt, armed clashes between fundamentalists and government forces erupted
in EVERY TOWN and the government banned newspapers and restricted political 
freedoms.
 
A commission appointed to investigate the killing last month of the Algerian 
president, Mohamed Boudiaf , has come close to publicly accusing the army's 
military security organization, the most powerful instrument of the government
repression, of hindering the investigation.
 
Every week, Algeria's government factories reduce production further because 
as shortage of hard currency makes it impossible to import spare parts and 
cash is short to pay the workers (rumors of freezing private bank accounts 
are then not baseless). Strikes are called daily.
 
The Algerian Journalist Association has accused the government of suppressing
the press as its only answer to accumulating problems. Early this month, the 
govnemrnt shut down three daily independent newspapers, Le matin, La Nation, 
and Al-Djezair al-Yaoum , accusing them of endangering the nation's interests".
 
President Ali Kafi(r), who took over after the still-unsolved assassination of
Boudiaf, has vowed to re institute the "authority of the State"." But IT IS 
NOT EVIDENT THAT HE IS SUCCEEDING.
 
Increasingly bold fundamentalists stage hit-and-run raids daily on army 
officers. LARGE STOCKS OF WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION HAVE BEEN STOLEN FROM 
BARRACKS AND POLICE STATIONS.
 
Since February well over 130 state officials have been killed in these 
assaults, as were many of the fundamentalist attackers.
 
Early this month, fundamentalists took responsibility for an attempted 
assassination for the first time. The target was the Security Minister 
Mohammed Tolba.
 
The admission came in a pamphlet signed by the Islamic Salvation Front, the 
country's largest political party, which was deprived of an electoral victory 
in January and then banned by the military-led govnemt (banned -- ha ha...)
 
It was the boldest attack yet on a senior official, and the admission of 
responsibility suggested that the Islamic Front feels enough popular support 
to proclaim openly that it is at war with the govenemt.
 
With 7,000 fundamentalist (one wonders from where do they get these numbers?) 
being held in five prison camps, the increase in attacks and sabotage 
UNDERLINES THE FACT THAT A NEW, HARDER GENERATION (R'jaal) HAS EMERGED TO 
CARRY ON THE CHALLENGE TO THE GOVERNMENT.
 
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