Algeria pays tribute to former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika with a low-key funeral
A funeral for Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the oldest president of the North African country, began in Algeria on Sunday in a cemetery for his heroes of independence, but without the honors bestowed on the leaders who died before him.
Bouteflika passed away on Friday at the age of 84, having lived in seclusion since he was ousted from power more than two years ago.
The veteran strongman resigned from office in April 2019 after the military left him after weeks of street protests sparked by his attempt to run for a fifth presidential term.
He had come to power in 1999 thanks to a wave of popular support, as his offer of amnesty to Islamist militants helped end a decade-long civil war.
An armored vehicle towed the flag-draped coffin in a flower-adorned gun carriage and escorted by lines of policemen on motorcycles.
His successor, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, members of the government and foreign diplomats have gathered at the cemetery, guarded by security officers in blue and black uniforms.
The procession traveled from the Bouteflika nursing home to the cemetery east of the center of Algiers, while passers-by filmed it with their mobile phones.
Only journalists from Algeria’s national public media have had access to the ceremony itself, and the official mourning period will last only three days instead of eight.
Without fanfare, in contrast to previous presidential deaths, state television had announced that Bouteflika would be buried in El-Alia, where his predecessors are buried.
The People’s Palace, where other presidents had remained in state, appeared to have been prepared to display their remains prior to burial. However, the lie in the state was canceled, according to sources.
Isabelle Werenfels, a Maghreb specialist at the German SWP institute, told AFP that the country’s leaders are probably nervous “because there is a lot of hatred around the figure of Bouteflika on social media.”
He added that decision makers did not know very well what to do “because among the political, administrative and economic elites there are quite a large number who are products or profiteers of the Bouteflika era.”
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Silenced reactions
The announcement of his death provoked mute reactions in the former French colony, with some seeing his two decades of rule as a time of missed opportunities.
He wanted to surpass his mentor, the country’s second president, Houari Boumediene, with achievements that included boosting Algeria’s regional influence and “turning the page in the black decade” of the civil war that killed some 200,000 people, Louisa Dris, Professor of Politics at the University of Algiers. Ait Hamadouche said.
Instead, “the institutions of the state have never been so weakened, so divided or so discredited,” he said.
On the streets of the capital Algiers, many residents told AFP that no one would miss the once formidable president.
One retiree, Ali, said Bouteflika “served his country, but unfortunately made a big mistake” with a fourth presidential term and then seeking a fifth when he was ill.
Poor health and protests
Nicknamed “Boutef” by Algerians, he was known for wearing his trademark three-piece suit even in sweltering heat, and he earned respect as foreign minister in the 1970s, as well as for helping foster post-peace peace. the civil War.
Algeria was largely spared from the uprisings that ravaged the Arab world in 2011, something many attributed to memories of the civil war and the boost from state donations.
But the Bouteflika government was marked by corruption. Despite its oil wealth, Africa’s largest nation ended up with poor infrastructure and high unemployment.
Bouteflika faced criticism from human rights groups and opponents who accused him of being authoritarian.
He suffered a mini-stroke in April 2013 that affected his speech and he was forced to use a wheelchair. However, he decided to seek a fourth term anyway.
His 2019 bid for a fifth term sparked protests that soon grew into a pro-democracy movement known as “Hirak.”
Some figures from the Bouteflika era were eventually imprisoned, but the old guard of their time still largely rules the country.
(AFP)
