By Dario Cristiani
Algerian armed rebels from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
In
the past few months, there has been a rather remarkable operational return of
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Algeria. On July 16, a double suicide
attack rocked a security compound in the small town of Bordj Menail, 60 km east
of Algiers, with two people killed and 14 injured (Algérie Plus, Jul 16). A few
days later, Algerian security forces in the area of Thénia intercepted an AQIM
team alleged to be on its way to carry out an attack in Algiers (Tout Sur
l'Algérie, Jul 26).
The
most important attack occurred in late August, when another double suicide
attack hit the military academy of Cherchell, about 100 km west of Algiers,
killing 18 people and injuring another 20 (Algerian Press Service, August 27;
El Watan, August 27). AQIM claimed responsibility for both attacks, blaming
also the Algerian government for its support of Muammar Qaddafi (Afrik.com,
July 20; AFP, August 20). An AQIM statement described the Cherchell attack as
“a small gift to the families of the martyrs, the injured and the weak and
subdued prisoners of Algeria, who have been suffering the worst of atrocities
at the hands of France, making them subject, with metal and fire, to a criminal
gang of Algerian army generals, transgressing across the land spreading much
corruption. In fact, their corruption and crime even reached across the borders
to neighboring countries, conspiring against the revolutions of our brothers in
Tunisia and Libya” (al-Andalus Media/al-Fajr Media Center, August 27).
Following
an overall decline in operations since 2008, AQIM’s profile remained low in
Algeria until April 2011. The causes for this were several:
·
The “Sahelization” of AQIM as the
geographical center of its activity shifted from Algeria to the Sahel.
·
The increasing focus on illegal
business activities rather than on terrorist actions.
·
The consistent and effective
counter-terrorist efforts of Algeria.
·
The waning appeal of violence in
a country that is still recovering from the psychological burden of two decades
of violence.
An internally divided and fragmented
leadership, in which power is rather diffused, with its Sahelian factions
enjoying a strong autonomy and the formal leadership, based in Kabylia,
exercising a rather loose control over the various AQIM units.
However,
this situation has been changing since April. As well as the major attacks
described above, there have also been strikes on individuals of the military,
policemen and gendarmes, killing more than 50 people according to official
sources (Jeune Afrique, August 5). What
does this recrudescence mean and what are the reasons behind it?
·
Worsening of the Regional
Security Picture: The conflict in Libya has had a negative impact on the
security of almost all its neighbors, though it was also overestimated to
further national security interests and assist the survival of the political
elites. Support for Mua’mmar Qaddafi was equated with preserving regional
stability, although this policy proved unsustainable in the long term. Though
the regime was wary of the fact that the Algerian protests might indicate the
beginning of a spillover effect from the Libyan conflict, it is clear that
protests, strikes and mass rallies are constant elements of the Algerian
political and social landscape. Nevertheless, the fear of a spillover effect
has strongly influenced the Algerian regime’s reaction to the Libyan conflict,
and regional security has worsened through the spread of weapons from Libyan
arsenals and ineffective control of Algeria’s porous borders. The possibility
that weapons and explosives have reached the country is high, and a nexus
between the rising number of attacks in Algeria and the conflict in Libya can
be identified.
·
The National Political Juncture:
Although Algeria’s resilience to the Arab Spring has been greater than that of
some other Arab countries, the protests in Algeria were still regarded as
presenting a menace to the survival of the regime. Moreover, Algeria will
likely experience an increase in political tension and divisions over the next
few months. The major political personalities are already eyeing the 2014
presidential elections and many of them have begun creating alliances and
strategies for this fundamental date (Algérie 360, May 20). The major party,
the Front de Libération Nationale (FNL), is facing increasing internal
fragmentation. Most notable of the factions to spin off from the FNL is the
Mouvement de Redressement et de l’Authenticité, which is harshly critical of
FNL secretary general Abdelaziz Belkhadem, one of the closest politicians to
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika (Le Journal d’Algérie, August 15). In narrow
security terms, the protests mean a greater focus by the government on
maintaining domestic political stability, hence a devotion of greater
quantities of financial resources and security forces to control these
protests. Subsequently, AQIM could have an interest in seizing the political
momentum by exploiting this shift of focus in security on increasing its
operational profile prior to destabilizing the state should the overall
socio-political picture enter a precipitate decline.
·
External and Internal Symbolic
Meanings: These latest attacks could also have external and internal symbolic
meanings. The external meaning encompasses the international dimension as well
as a national one. Internationally, the attacks aim at showing that the group
is alive even though its leader, Osama Bin Laden, has been killed. In the
national dimension, they show that AQIM still has the capability to attack the
most visible elements of state control -- the military installations. The
internal meaning of the attacks could be a response to allegations of a decline
in influence of the Algerian-based leadership over other factions of the group.
Carrying out successful attacks against Algerian military installations could
represent a means for AQIM Amir Abdelmalek Droukdel to boost his weakened
leadership after the “Sahelization” of the movement entailed a shift in the
group’s internal balance of power.
Whether
this acceleration in AQIM operations in Algeria will be effective in reviving
the fortunes of the Algerian militants is unclear. The worsening regional
picture and the increasing domestic troubles facing by the Algerian government
could represent a major opportunity for AQIM to further increase its
operational profile in Algeria. Internal rivalries could also push some
factions to act more vigorously to reaffirm their power and influence within
the organization. The ability of AQIM to return to its 2007-2008 levels of
violence in Algeria remains weak; however, it is undisputable that the
strategic context in Algeria has changed slightly in favor of AQIM in the last
few months.
This article was published in the Terrorism Monitor, Volume: 9,
Issue: 36, on 22/09/2011
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