Profile of Internal Displacement : Algeria
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
PROFILE OF INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT : ALGERIA Compilation of the information available in the Global IDP Database of the Norwegian Refugee Council (as of 18 March, 2005) Also available at http://www.idpproject.org Users of this document are welcome to credit the Global IDP Database for the collection of information. The opinions expressed here are those of the sources and are not necessarily shared by the Global IDP Project or NRC Norwegian Refugee Council/Global IDP Project Chemin de Balexert, 7-9 1219 Geneva - Switzerland Tel: + 41 22 799 07 00 Fax: + 41 22 799 07 01 E-mail : [email protected] CONTENTS CONTENTS ....................................................................................................................................1 PROFILE SUMMARY..................................................................................................................5 ALGERIA: SLOW IDP RETURN TO RURAL AREAS ..............................................................................5 CAUSES AND BACKGROUND OF DISPLACEMENT.........................................................10 BACKGROUND................................................................................................................................10 CONFLICT IN ALGERIA ESCALATED TO CIVIL WAR BETWEEN 1992 AND 1998 (2000-2003) ..........10 AN ESTIMATED 27,000 ARMED GUERILLAS WERE ACTIVE DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE CONFLICT - THE ARMY ESTIMATED THAT THEY WERE REDUCED TO SOME 700 AS OF THE END OF 2002 (2002- 2003):..............................................................................................................................................11 THE SECURITY FORCES ARE ACCUSED OF INDISCRIMINATE KILLINGS AND USE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THE CIVILIAN POPULATION (APRIL 2003)........................................................................12 BETWEEN 150,000-200,000 CIVILIANS REPORTEDLY ENTERED SELF-DEFENSE GROUPS AFTER 1994 (DECEMBER 2003) ..........................................................................................................................13 THE CONFLICT HAS CLAIMED BETWEEN 150,000 TO 200,000 LIVES - MORE THAN 7,000 PERSONS DISAPPEARED DURING THE CIVIL WAR AND REMAIN UNACCOUNTED FOR (FEBRUARY 2005).......14 THE SECURITY SITUATION IN ALGERIA HAS IMPROVED CONSIDERABLY, ESPECIALLY IN URBAN AREAS (FEBRUARY 2005) ...............................................................................................................15 DESPITE THE IMPROVED SECURITY SITUATION, THE ALGERIAN SOCIETY REMAINS HEAVILY MILITARIZED (AUGUST 2003).........................................................................................................17 AN OVERVIEW OF THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN ALGERIA (JULY 2004) ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. ALGERIAN AUTHORITIES MAINTAIN ITS STATE OF EMERGENCY DESPITE INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC PRESSURE TO END IT (FEBRUARY 2004).......................................................................19 CAUSES...........................................................................................................................................19 THOUSANDS OF PERSONS DISPLACED FROM "TRIANGLE OF DEATH" ON THE BLIDA PLAIN SOUTH OF ALGIERS AT HEIGHT OF CRISIS (2004) ......................................................................................19 DESPITE AN OVERALL IMPROVEMENT OF THE SECURITY SITUATION, VIOLENCE AND THREATS CONTINUED TO DISPLACE THE CIVIL POPULATION UP TO THE YEAR 2002 (NOVEMBER 2002)......20 DISPLACEMENT PER PROVINCE....................................................................................................22 ALGER: INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN THE COMMUNE OF BARAKI.................................................22 AÏN DEFLA: THE SECURITY SITUATION DISPLACED ALMOST 11,000 FAMILIES (JANUARY 2004) ..23 AÏN DEFLA: DISPLACEMENT REPORTED DURING FEBRUARY 2005 DUE TO THREATS BY ISLAMIST EXTREMISTS....................................................................................................................................23 ANNABA: AN UPSURGE OF VIOLENCE AROUND THE VILLAGE OF AÏN BARBER MADE PEOPLE FLEE TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF SÉRAÏDI (SEPTEMBER 2003) ......................................................................24 BATNA: NUMEROUS VILLAGES ARE DEPOPULATED DUE TO THE SECURITY SITUATION (JANUARY 2003)...............................................................................................................................................25 BOUIRA: THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES LEFT DURING THE MID-90S (MAY 2004) ................................25 CHLEF: CLOSE TO 15,000 FAMILIES LEFT THE RURAL AREAS FOR THE URBAN CENTRES (JANUARY 2004)...............................................................................................................................................26 HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES FROM COMMUNES BETWEEN THE WILAYAS OF CHLEF, TIPAZA AND AÏN DEFLA FLED FOR FEAR OF TERRORISM (NOVEMBER 2002) ............................................................26 JIJEL: NUMEROUS SHANTYTOWNS HAVE EMERGED SINCE THE START OF THE CONFLICT AS PEOPLE FLEE TO URBAN AREAS (SEPTEMBER 2003):...................................................................................27 OUM-EL-BOUAGUT: DESCRIPTION OF DISPLACEMENT FROM ONE OF THE COMMUNES - EL-DJAZIA (2001) .............................................................................................................................................27 MEDEA: THE SECURITY SITUATION FORCED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS TO LEAVE FOR SAFER AREAS IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF URBAN CENTRES (OCTOBER 2004)...................................................28 RELIZANE: REPORTS FROM TWO COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT (JULY 2002)...............................................................................................................................................29 SAÏDA: OVER 30,000 DISPLACED LIVE ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE TOWN OF SAÏDA (AUGUST 2002) ........................................................................................................................................................30 SKIKDA: PEOPLE STILL FEEL THREATENED, DISPLACEMENT REPORTED IN SEPTEMBER 2004 .......31 TISSEMSILT: THOUSANDS FLED VIOLENCE AND MASSACRES BY ARMED GROUPS (OCTOBER 2004) ........................................................................................................................................................32 TIZI OUZOU - KABYLIA REGION: IN JULY 2003, THERE WERE REPORTS OF AN UPSURGE OF TERRORIST ACTIONS AND CIVILIAN CASUALTIES ...........................................................................33 TIZI OUZOU: REPORT OF DISPLACEMENT FROM THE VILLAGE OF AÏT ALLAOUA (AUGUST 2004).34 POPULATION PROFILE AND FIGURES ..............................................................................36 GENERAL .......................................................................................................................................36 NO PUBLIC ESTIMATE IS AVAILABLE, GOVERNMENT FIGURES VARY (APRIL 2004) ......................36 LOCAL MEDIA STATE THAT UP TO 1.5 MILLION HAVE BEEN DISPLACED BY THE VIOLENCE IN ALGERIA - EU SAYS ONE MILLION (NOVEMBER 2002)...................................................................36 MOST PROVINCES HAVE NOT OFFICIALLY REGISTERED THE INTERNALLY DISPLACED ..................37 FIGURES ON DISPLACEMENT DURING 1998.....................................................................................38 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION ...................................................................................................38 DISAGGREGATED FIGURES FROM ALGERIAN NEWSPAPERS (2002 - OCTOBER 2004) ....................38 PHYSICAL SECURITY & FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT ....................................................42 GENERAL .......................................................................................................................................42 GENERAL HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD IN ALGERIA REMAINS POOR (FEBRUARY 2004) .....................42 CITIZENS THREATENED TO ABANDON VILLAGE UNLESS SECURITY FORCES WERE DEPLOYED (NOVEMBER 2002)..........................................................................................................................44 SUBSISTENCE NEEDS (HEALTH NUTRITION AND SHELTER)....................................46 GENERAL .......................................................................................................................................46 CONFLICT HAS SERIOUSLY IMPACTED SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS (2002) ..............................46 AÏN DEFLA: MANY INTERNALLY DISPLACED HAS NOT YET BENEFITED FROM A PLAN TO IMPROVE THEIR PRECARIOUS LIVING CONDITIONS (AUGUST 2004) ..............................................................46 CHLEF: TERRORISM AND DISPLACEMENT AGGRAVATE SERIOUS SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION (NOVEMBER 2002)..........................................................................................................................48 2 JIJEL: EFFECTS OF INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN THE PROVINCE ARE PROFOUND (JANUARY 2004) ........................................................................................................................................................49 TIARET: RETURN MIGHT BE ONLY REMEDY TO SOLVE PROBLEMS (SEPTEMBER 2002)..................49 SAÏDA: DISPLACED FACE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HARDSHIP IN SHANTYTOWNS (AUGUST 2002).50 ANNABA AND EL TARF PROVINCES: FAMILIES DISPLACED BY TERRORISM LIVE IN DIFFICULT CONDITIONS IN AÏN BEN BEIDA (APRIL 2001) ...............................................................................50 ORAN: DISPLACEMENT HAS