Algeria

The national tragedy of a decade of violent conflict in the 1990s, following the cancellation of elections and subsequent Islamist insurgency, devastated Algeria. Assassinations and massacres touched almost all sections of society, from journalists, teachers, and their pupils, artists, working women, lawyers and state officials, to anyone classed as a traitor if they did not support the Islamist project. With often equally violent state responses, Algerians were trapped in a cycle of violence that only ended with president Bouteflika’s Reconciliation Charter in the early 2000s. This charter was also contested. Though it ended the violence, it did not bring truth or justice to the families of the victims. Young people were particularly affected by the traumas of the 1990s, with many losing their childhoods, educational opportunities, mental health as well as access to public spaces.

Content Warning: Depictions of Violence

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