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| Africa North |
| Editorial: Carnage in Algiers |
| 2007-12-13 |
| CAR bombs are horrific weapons. In two days, they have blasted people and property apart first in Algiers, then yesterday in Lebanon and Iraq. The obscenity of this terrorist tactic lies in the way an every-day city scene in which people are going peacefully about their lives is transformed in a split second into a picture of carnage and destruction. TuesdayÂ’s double blast in Algiers killed at least 30 innocent passers-by, though the final death toll will probably be higher when bodies are retrieved from wrecked buildings. This is the eighth bomb attack in Algeria this year that has been blamed on a group calling itself the Al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb. The Algerian press was loud in its condemnation of the attack and many newspapers called for the government to take stern measures against Islamic extremists. Others blamed the government for lack of security. Both charges, however, confuse the issue and tend to reinforce what can only be the terroristsÂ’ ambition of plunging this nation back into bloody civil strife. What Algerians need to accept is that they are being attacked from outside. The bigotry of Al-Qaeda is international and is dedicated to assaulting every civilized society that resists them. The blasts in Algiers must be seen to be on a par with those in Spain and UK, which were carried out by people who were often born and brought up in the country they attacked. The general reaction of the Spanish and British has not been to blame the communities from which the bomber came. Likewise the Algerians must not round on the Islamist politicians in their midst, implicating them in the violence. These are wicked criminal acts. But the fact that they were almost certainly largely carried out by Algerians does not mean that they are in any way the restart of the civil conflict in which 150,000 people were slaughtered in even years. This often-brutalized country needs to keep moving away from its violent past that began when over a million died during the fight for independence from French rule. The only way to do this is to continue the process of national reconciliation launched by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in a bid to end divisions with Islamists. Dreadful though these bomb attacks may be, they cannot be allowed to deflect this peaceful campaign. In the wake of earlier bombings, there were widespread protests against the terrorists. It was notable that the demonstrators included people from all political groups in the country, not least leading Islamists who condemned utterly the outrages allegedly being perpetrated in the name of Islam. Peace will only be assured through peaceful means. Only fanatics can wish to return to the days of bloodshed. Algerians are beginning to enjoy the benefits of eight years of relative stability and calm. They do not want to see it slip away again. If they accept that they are now under attack by an external evil rather than internal forces, it will be a little easier for them to bear these assaults. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 The general reaction of the Spanish and British has not been to blame the communities from which the bomber came There's a technical term for it, and it isn't "civilized". |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2007-12-13 17:42 |
| #1 A Saudi paper jumping to the field in order to help the people who would make from Algeria a Saudi protectorate. |
| Posted by: JFM 2007-12-13 08:04 |