Violence erupts again in Berriane, days after truce

Hostilities broke out again yesterday Friday between young from both the “Ibadhi” and “Maliki” communities in the province of Beriane, Ghardaia (southern Algeria) soon after the Friday prayer, forcing the anti- riots police, who were on the alert since a week, to intervene using tear-gas bombs and clubs to disperse the crowds and protect the population and properties alike.

• Several wounded were registered among the protesters as well as the elements of police and gendarmerie, while the main town’s issues have been blocked by the security forces to put the situation under control.
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• More than 24 policemen and a gendarmerie officer counts among the injured, all of them left the hospital, while a policeman has been transferred to Algiers judging his case serious. Four houses, deserted by their families during the tragic events, caught fire after being sprayed by Molotov cocktails and other hand made devices, reliable sources revealed.
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• The situation has deteriorated despite the signature of a protocol between the two communities pending to reach a final treaty in the future. The road map was signed in the presence of the wise men and elders from both sides along with the deputy interior minister, Dehou Ould Keblia, dispatched by the president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the initiator of the process, on spot.
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• The minister is due to move tomorrow Sunday to the conflict zone in order to investigate on the causes behind the resurgence of violence in the region. The supreme community’s body, The Mozabite Group Institution, has staunchly denounced the violent acts and called for an immediate stop of the haemorrhage as well as punishing the conspirators.
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