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Africa: North |
GSPC rebuts amnesty, rants and raves at Algerian government |
2005-11-08 |
The fifth and latest edition of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) magazine al-Jamaâah was distributed over the forums on October 21-22. As expected, outside the customary ideological literature, much of the issue is dedicated to the question of the amnesty referendum, which took place on September 29, and which registered overwhelming public support. The commentary on the news concentrates on what the GSPC sees as the fabrication of the referendum results and the government-directed media coverage. In a declaration entitled La Silma bidun Islam (No Peace without Islam), also issued separately on September 27 on the movementsâ website (www.salafia.ne1.net), the leader of the GSPC Abdelmalek Droukdel, known as Abu Musab Abd al-Wadoud, dismissed the referendum as a waste of time. âAlgeria is not in need of a charter for peace and national reconciliation,â he maintained, âbut in need of a charter for Islamâ without which âthere will be no peace and no reconciliation.â In the body of the statement, Abd al-Wadoud enumerated some of the GSPC grievances with the Algerian state and its âunending list of treacheriesâ:⢠Granting permission to the U.S. to establish military bases in the south of the countryAbd al-Wadoud also reappears in the online magazine in an interview where he deals with two interesting issues arising out of the amnesty: the role of former GSPC leader Hassan Hattab and claims that the earlier amnesty, promulgated in January 2000, has actually scored success for the government. Reiterating the GSPC motto âno discussion, no compromise and no truce with the Apostates,â Abd al-Wadoud reassured the readership of the full commitment of the GSPC to jihad, and that relations with Hassan Hattab had been cut since his resignation and his âprostration to the Tyrants.â There was, therefore, no influence from this man on their political positions, and the reports of his having brought over with him many penitent mujahideen were mere âmedia propaganda.â As to the touted success of the 2000 amnesty in that the number of attacks being reduced, âlegitimacy does not depend on the number of followers.â In addition, those mujahideen who are now returning from the hills to accept the amnesty âonly took to the hills for partisan political reasons, which split and divided⊠their presence in the hills did not remain long.â The claim of decline in jihadist activity, for Abd al-Wadoud, is similarly false: âhow can you interpret the numerous strikes of the mujahideen abroad [referring to the attack on Mauritania]? Or the fighting operations north, south, east and west in the country?â The issue of communications, legitimate spokesmen and unity of message continues to dog the GSPC. The publication of the al-Jamaâah magazine itself demonstrates this, since Terrorism Focus located the text circulating on one of the jihadi forums not specifically connected with the Algerian jihad (www.tajdeed.org.uk) âthe GSPC site (www.salafia.ne1.net) having been âdisbanded for good by the webmaster of NE1.net.â |
Posted by:Dan Darling |