2000s in Algeria

Further information: Algeria
Main article: History of Algeria
The Algerian Flag

The 2000s in Algeria emerged from the 'Black Decade' of the 1990s.[1] The 'Black Decade' was characterised by a civil war beginning in 1991 and ending at the beginning of the following decade in 2002.[2] President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who is accredited with ending the civil war,[3] continued to be in power throughout the 2000s following his election in 1999.[4] Despite being in power for 20 years and being Algeria's longest running president, Bouteflika's politics have been widely opposed and contested, with accusations from the BBC “of widespread corruption and state repression”.[5] In April 2019 Bouteflika officially resigned from his position as president after months of public protest and loss of the army's support.[6] The 82 Year old President was widely considered unfit for the role after experiencing a stroke in 2013.[6] His resignation was reported by the BBC to have been met with "huge celebrations".[5]

In the post civil war period of the 2000s ‘Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’ (‘AQIM’), an Algerian Islamic extremist group, rose to prominence and was responsible for a number of acts of terrorism in Algeria and the Northern African region.[1] This was relevant in relation to world politics at the time as it tied in with the USA's ‘War on Terror’, and lead to cooperation between the two nations in global counterterrorism attempts.[7]

The 2000s in Algeria was also impacted by the 2001 'Black Spring’,[8] an uprising of the native Berber people of the North African region, as well as the 2001 Algerian floods which destroyed infrastructure, displaced families and resulted in a significant death toll.[9]

  1. ^ a b Filiu, Jean-Pierre (October 2009). "Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb: Algerian Challenge or Global Threat?" (PDF). Carnegie Papers. 104: 1–10.
  2. ^ Noh, Yuree (October 2018). "Politics and education in post-war Algeria". Belfer Centre.
  3. ^ "Country Profile: Algeria" (PDF). Library of Congress, Federal Research Division. May 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  4. ^ Allahoum, Ramy (3 April 2019). "Abdelaziz Bouteflika: Algeria's longest-serving president". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Abdelaziz Bouteflika: Algerian leader resigns amid protests". BBC. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Algeria's Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigns after mass protests". Al Jazeera. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  7. ^ Berkouk, Mhand (17 June 2009). "U.S.–Algerian Security Cooperation and the War on Terror". Carnegie Endowment For International Peace. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  8. ^ Allouche, Yasmina (20 April 2017). "Algeria's repression of the Berber uprising". Middle East Monitor. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Algeria – Floods UN OCHA Situation Report No.7". Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 26 November 2001. Retrieved 5 May 2020.