Interview- FIS was born in Mustapha Bouili’s house, says ex-member (part 2)

Why did violence appear late in the 1980’s though President Chadli’s era was the most tolerant period with Islamists?Late President Chadli wanted to establish a democratic system but he could not do that. Unfortunately, his staff did not want that. Chadil did not have a clear concept about democratic transition. So, things ended in chaos.

What did the Djazaara clan do when the FIS won local elections?

The Djazaara clan ordered all its affiliates to join the front locally and nationally. They dominated many structures.

What are the Djazaara clan’s strong points behind?

The clan is like a cancer. It weakens the body silently and blows it up at the end. Its members did that even with armed groups after they had tried to dominate them. They thought the State would fall apart but the GIA ordered to kill them all in mountains.

How was the Djazaara clan’s structural composition?

They did not have a popular base. They were just looking for strong and influence centers: universities, mosques and institutions. They worked on producing intellectual people able to create an emotional influence in the name of Islam. Still, they have a solid executive command.

Who was behind the 1988’s events?

I think there was malfunctioning starting from 1979 until the events broke out in 1988. Before 1979, there was a clear concept about the State. President Boumediene had a medium and long term program. When Chadli came, his team did wrong things. Instead of thinking about building a strong state, they were only concerned about satisfying people. That led to hard and serious social problems.

You mean that poverty was behind the October 1988’s events?

Poverty and hunger do not push for a revolution. Otherwise, Ethiopians and Somalis would have been the first revolutionaries. In Algeria, political awareness was spreading little by little. Because of that, the situation was engorged and just needed a spark for explosion.

Where were you when the events broke out?

I was living in Mouzai. I was sitting in a coffee shop when two men went out from a car and told us: “you are here while your brothers are killed … come on.” I did not know them but it was clear that things were not going well.

Was Chadli the wanted man?

People were conscient. When Chadli delivered his speech, people were more responsible and took to the streets to protect their state from falling apart. Authorities dealt with the problem in a wrong way. Democratic transition must not be supervised by the same system, the same party, the same team and the same method. The clash occurred early in the 1990’s because things did not have correct bases. Because of that, measures taken by Chadli and his staff after the events were wrong.

So, you hold Chadli responsible for missing a historic opportunity for change?

The taken measures were not correct. Chadli’s staff failed in managing the transition phase. The Constitution should have been amended and presidential and legislative elections should have been organized immedialtey after that. An impartial transitional government would have been established. At that time, a change may have occurred.

How did Islamists deal with the October 1988’s events?

Islamists had been busy with preaching until 1988. They were not like communists and they did not expect the events at all. Yet, they reacted. Cheikh Belhadj thought about organizing a protest in Belcourt area in Algiers. Abbassi Madani sought civil disobedience.

Who stopped the protests?

President Chadli delivered a speech, saying everything would change. Wise people intervened and the events stopped.

Who lost and who won in the October 1988’s events?

No one won. All Algeria lost. The current crisis resulted from mistakes made by authorities. The country experienced a bloody decade. If authorities were aware about those risks, Algeria would have lived better than Turkey, Brazil and India.

Who made the 1989’s Constitution?

Authorities and Chadli know who made the Constitution. We wanted the transitional government to make the Constitution and present it for referendum.

We want to know the truth about the creation of the FIS.

After the adoption of the new Constitution in 1989, many charity associations, parties and unions were created. The Islamist movement was not unanimous on a single position. The Djazaara clan was reluctant and had doubts about authorities’ intention in terms of democratic process.

So, how was the FIS created?

The idea of creating the FIS started in two men’s mind: Ali Belhadj and Said Kechi. Belhadj was used to visit Mustapha Bouili’s family. Once, he accompanied Said Kechi. Bouili’s accepted the idea of creating a political party. Kechi and Belhadj were in charge of contacting Islamist commands in Algeria to convince them of the idea.

Who chose the party’s name?

At the beginning, the group including Belhadj suggested the “Islamic Party” name but Abbassi Madani was behind the “Islamic Salvation Front” name. He told me: “I rely on you to be with us and bring with you who ever you want.” I told him I am at his disposal at any time but I do not want to join the party. He insisted on me to attend a meeting in a mosque in Algiers. I went there with two men: Kherbane Kamareddine and Nourredine Ben Keloub.