Mosques in Algeria southern town safe after clashes

A delegation of Ibadhi and Maliki disciples moved Sunday to El Masjid El Atik, a mosque in Algeria’s southern town of Berriane after it was said that it had been burnt and damaged.

The delegation said none of mosques in Berriane had been damaged since riots took place in this area.

Residents said the mosques are “secured” as around 15 men are in charge of this mission in addition to surveillance which was tightened up by security forces.

According to corroborating local testimonies, the calm is restored in Berriane little by little after fears that things would go wrong were overcome.

“The situation is under control and no clashes neither riots were recorded,” a security source told Echorouk.

PM: no doctrinal conflict in Berriane

PM Abu Bakr Saleh said what happened in Berriane is not a conflict between Ibadhi and Maliki but it’s a interest and tribal-related conflict.

He confirmed that the two doctrines’ imams are innocent from those clashes. He blamed local officials for bad managing of the crisis on logic of “the area’s sensitivity.”

Doctor, would you mind explaining the real situation in Berriane?

I believe that errors in the crisis management were committed when the first riots took place. The prefect managed the crisis on the basis that Berriane is a sensitive town. He did not authorise to arrest people behind it as he believed that arrests would lead to other riots.

Personally, I believe that it is a wrong logic because law must be applied and suspects must be arrested whatever their trends. I also believe that one of the error was the “Brothers’ Group” which was created by the prefect in the first riots. It did not have any credibility among residents who did not trust some of its members. That’s why, it was a failed attempt.

So, you believe that the doctrinal conflict is not behind the events.

The Maliki and Ibadhi doctrines coexist in tolerance. There are no religious causes between both doctrines’ imams over those events. They have always been tolerant with each other and met in all occasions especially in Berriane.

Algerian Interior Ministry talked about “masked people” who were involved in the riots. Do you have an idea about their identities?

The barbarity of the events shows intruder and exaggeration. Security investigation would reveal who were behind that. I stress the necessity of arresting the real suspects and not the misled people. We have to care for the post-crisis phase especially for the Baccalaurate candidates who have not gone to school since March 19.