The

Algerian Civil War The Algerian Civil War ( ar, rtl=yes, الْحَرْبُ الْأَهْلِيَّةُ الجَزَائِرِيَّةُ, al-Ḥarb al-ʾAhlīyah al-Jazāʾirīyah) was a civil war in Algeria fought between the Algerian government and various I ...

was an armed conflict in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

between the

Algerian Government Politics of Algeria takes place in a framework of a constitutional semi-presidential republic, whereby the President of Algeria is head of state while the Prime Minister of Algeria is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by th ...

and multiple Islamist rebel groups, sparked by a military overthrow of the newly elected Islamist government. The war lasted from December 1991 until February 2002, though in the south of the country an Islamist insurgency remains ongoing.

1991

* November 27 – Two Islamists who had fought in the Afghan War, Aïssa Messaoudi and Abderrahmane Dahane, attack a border post at Guemmar, killing soldiers and foreshadowing the war to come. * December 26 – First round of

parliamentary elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

; the

Islamic Salvation Front The Islamic Salvation Front ( ar, الجبهة الإسلامية للإنقاذ, al-Jabhah al-Islāmiyah lil-Inqādh; french: Front Islamique du Salut, FIS) was an Islamist political party in Algeria. The party had two major leaders represent ...

(FIS) wins 188 of the 232 (of 429) seats decided on the first ballot, putting it far ahead of any other party. The

Socialist Forces Front , Berber: Tirni Iɣallen Inemlayen (RƔN) , logo = Socialist Forces Front.png , leader1_title = First National Secretary , leader1_name = Youcef Aouchiche , leader2_title = , leader2_name = , foundation = ...

(FFS) wins 25 seats, while the ex-ruling party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), wins just 15.

1992

* January 3 – The second round of

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

's general elections is cancelled. President

Chadli Bendjedid Chadli Bendjedid ( ar, الشاذلي بن جديد; ALA-LC: ''ash-Shādhilī bin Jadīd''; 14 April 1929 – 6 October 2012) was the third President of Algeria and an Algerian Nationalist. His presidential term of office ran from 9 February 19 ...

forced to resign. * January 14 – It is announced that a military-backed High Council of State (HCE) is taking over. * January 16 – The exiled ex-independence fighter Mohammed Boudiaf returns and is given leadership of the HCE. * January 22 – Leading

FIS FIS or fis may refer to: Science and technology * '' Fis'', an ''E. Coli'' gene * Fis phenomenon, a phenomenon in linguistics * F♯ (musical note) * Flight information service, an air traffic control service * Frame Information Structure, a Se ...

member

Abdelkader Hachani Abdelkader Hachani (; ar, عبد القادر حشاني; 26 December 1956 – 22 November 1999) was a leading figure and founding member of the Islamic Salvation Front (or FIS), an Algerian Islamic party. Career Following the arrests of Abassi ...

arrested. * February 9 – State of emergency declared. * March 4 –

dissolved by government decree. * June 29 – Mohammed Boudiaf assassinated; his role is filled by

Ali Kafi Ali Kafi ( ar, علي كافي; ALA-LC: ''ʿAlī Kāfī''; 7 October 1928 – 16 April 2013) was an Algerian politician who was Chairman of the High Council of State and acting President from 1992 to 1994. Early life Ali Kafi was born in ...

. * July 12 –

leaders Abassi Madani and Ali Belhadj sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment. * August 26 –

Algiers airport Houari Boumediene International Airport ( ar, مطار هواري بومدين الدولي, Maṭār Hawwārī Būmadyan al-Duwaliyy) , also known as Algiers Airport or Algiers International Airport, is the main international airport serving A ...

bombed; 9 deaths, 128 injured.

1993

* March 27 – Algeria cuts diplomatic relations with

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, accusing them of supporting terrorism in Algeria. * May 26 – Anti-Islamist writer

Tahar Djaout Tahar Djaout (11 January 1954 – 2 June 1993) was an Algerian journalist, poet, and fiction writer. He was assassinated in 1993 by the Armed Islamic Group. Early life He was born in 1954 in Oulkhou, a village in the Kabylie region. After unive ...

attacked by assassins; he died of his wounds shortly after, on June 2. * August 22 – Ex-Prime Minister Kasdi Merbah assassinated. The government accuses the

Armed Islamic Group The Armed Islamic Group (GIA, from french: Groupe Islamique Armé; ar, الجماعة الإسلامية المسلّحة, al-Jamāʿa l-ʾIslāmiyya l-Musallaḥa) was one of the two main Islamist insurgent groups that fought the Algerian gover ...

(GIA), while

accuses the government. * December 1 – Deadline beyond which the GIA had stated that it would consider all foreigners remaining in Algeria as targets.

1994

* January 30 – Liamine Zeroual given presidency of the High Council of State. * March 10 – Tazoult prison escape; guerrillas apparently attacked the prison and freed about 1000 prisoners. On the same day, the playwright

Abdelkader Alloula Abdelkader Alloula ar, عبد القادر علولة‎ (1939 in Ghazaouet, Algeria – March 14, 1994, in Oran, Algeria) was an Algerian playwright. He was assassinated by GIA terrorists. Biography Alloula was born in Ghazaouet in western ...

was assassinated. * August 27 – Moroccan border closed. * September 29 –

Rai RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

singer

Cheb Hasni Cheb Hasni ( ar, الشاب حسني), born Hasni Chakroun ( ar, حسني شقرون), (1 February 1968 – 29 September 1994), was an Algerian raï singer. He was popular across the Maghreb, having reached the height of his career in the late 1 ...

assassinated. * November 14 – Alleged

Berrouaghia prison massacre The Berrouaghia prison massacre is alleged to have taken place on 14 November 1994, after an escape attempt at Algeria's Berrouaghia prison. Estimates of the death toll vary wildly. The government gave the figure of eight dead, while others place ...

. * December 24 – GIA hijacks

Air France Flight 8969 Air France Flight 8969 was an Air France flight that was hijacked on 24 December 1994 by the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA) at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers. The terrorists murdered three passengers and their intention was either to ...

. * December 27 – main foreign airlines stop flights to Algeria.

1995

* January 14 - Representatives of

, FFS, and FLN (and some smaller parties) sign the

Sant'Egidio platform The Sant'Egidio Platform of January 13, 1995 was an attempt by most of the major Algerian opposition parties to create a framework for peace and plan to end to the Algerian Civil War. The escalating violence and extremism, which had been provoked by ...

text
in Rome, seeing it as a blueprint for ending the conflict. The Algerian government found its provisions unacceptable, and did not sign. * February 21 - Serkadji prison mutiny; 4 guards and 96 prisoners killed in a day and a half, following an escape attempt and prison mutiny in a high-security prison for people charged with or convicted of terrorism. * November 16 - Liamine Zeroual elected president.

1996

* May 21 - The seven French

Trappist The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...

s of Tibhirine are

beheaded Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the au ...

after having been abducted on March 27. * July 16 -

GIA ''Gia'' is a 1998 American biographical drama television film about the life and times of one of the first supermodels, Gia Carangi. The film stars Angelina Jolie as Gia and Faye Dunaway as Wilhelmina Cooper, with Mercedes Ruehl and Elizabeth Mi ...

leader

Djamel Zitouni Abu Abdul-Rahman Amine, born Djamel bin Mohamed Zitouni (January 5, 1964 in Les Eucalyptus, Algiers Province – July 16, 1996), was the leader of the Algerian Armed Islamic Group (1994–1996), a terrorist group responsible for carrying out a se ...

killed by the rival LIDD in an ambush.

Antar Zouabri The Armed Islamic Group (GIA, from french: Groupe Islamique Armé; ar, الجماعة الإسلامية المسلّحة, al-Jamāʿa l-ʾIslāmiyya l-Musallaḥa) was one of the two main Islamist insurgent groups that fought the Algerian gove ...

takes over.

1997

* April 3 - Thalit massacre; all but 1 of the 53 inhabitants of Thalit are killed. * April 22 -

Haouch Khemisti massacre The Haouch Khemisti massacre took place before dawn on April 22, 1997 in the Algerian village of Haouch Mokhfi Khemisti (also spelled Boughelef Khemisti, Haouch Boughlef-Khemisti, Haouch Boukhelef-Khemisti, Haouch Boughfi el-Khemisti, Haouch Bough ...

; 93 villagers killed. * April 23 -

Omaria massacre The largest Omaria massacre took place on 23 April 1997 in the Algerian village of El Omaria near Médéa, south of Algiers. Attackers armed with knives, sabers, and guns killed 42 people - including 17 women and 3 babies - in 3 hours, mutilating ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

; 42 villagers killed. * June 5 - Parliamentary elections. The newly created pro-government

Democratic National Rally The Democratic National Rally ( ar, التجمع الوطني الديمقراطي, french: Rassemblement National Démocratique, RND) is a political party in Algeria. The party held its Second Congress on 15–17 May 2003. History The RND ...

(RND) comes first, with 156/380 seats, followed by the Islamist

Movement of Society for Peace The Movement of Society for Peace ( ar, حركة مجتمع السلم, Harakat mujtamaâ as-Silm; ), sometimes known by its shortened form Hamas () is an Islamic party in Algeria, led by Mahfoud Nahnah until his death in 2003. Its current le ...

(MSP) (69) and the former single party FLN (62); these top three form a coalition government. Zeroual remains president. * June 16 - Dairat Labguer massacre; some 50 people killed. * July 27 -

Si Zerrouk massacre The Si Zerrouk massacre took place in the Si Zerrouk neighborhood in the south of Larbaa in Algeria on 27 July 1997. About 50 people were killed. Background In 1997, Algeria was at the peak of a civil conflict that had begun after the milita ...

; about 50 people killed. * August 3 -

Oued El-Had and Mezouara massacre The Oued El-Had and Mezouara massacre took place on 3 August 1997 in two villages near Arib in the ''wilaya'' of Ain Defla, Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , ...

; 40-76 villagers killed. * August 20 - Souhane massacre; over 60 people killed, 15 kidnapped. * August 26 -

Beni-Ali massacre The Beni Ali massacre took place in the mountain hamlet of Beni Ali, south of Algiers near Chrea, on 26 August 1997. Sixty-four (according to ''The New York Times'' and CNN) or 100 people (according to Amnesty International) were killed. Thr ...

; 60-100 people killed. * August 29 - Rais massacre; over 98 (and possibly up to 400) people killed. * September 1 -

leader Abassi Madani moved from jail to house arrest. The more radical Ali Belhadj remains in jail. * September 5 -

Beni-Messous massacre The Beni Messous massacre took place on the night of September 5, 1997, in Sidi Youssef, an outlying neighborhood of the town of Beni Messous. At least 84 people were killed. Background In 1997, Algeria was at the peak of a brutal civil confli ...

; over 87 killed. * September 19 -

Guelb El-Kebir massacre The Guelb El-Kebir massacre took place in the village of Guelb el-Kebir, near Beni Slimane, in the Algerian province of Medea, on 20 September 1997. 53 people were killed by attackers that were not immediately identified, though the attack was ...

; 53 killed. * September 21 - The AIS declares a unilateral ceasefire. * September 22 -

Bentalha massacre At the village of Bentalha ( ar, بن طلحة), south of Algiers, on the night of 22–23 September 1997, more than 200 villagers (according to Amnesty International) were killed by armed guerrillas. The number of deaths reported ranged fro ...

; over 200 villagers killed. * October 12 -

Sidi Daoud massacre The Sidi Daoud massacre took place outside the village of Sidi Daoud near Sig in western Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capit ...

; 43 killed at a fake roadblock. * November 27 - Second Souhane massacre; 25 killed. * December 24 -

Sid El-Antri massacre The Sid El-Antri massacre took place on the night of 23–24 December 1997 in two small villages near Tiaret, Algeria. The death toll is unclear; Reuters cites "at least 80", or 48 according to the government. ''Le Jeune Independent'' reported 11 ...

; 50-100 villagers killed. * December 30 -

Wilaya of Relizane massacres of December 30, 1997 The Wilaya of Relizane massacres of 30 December 1997 were probably the single bloodiest day of killing in the Algerian conflict of the 1990s. Several members of the population of four villages were killed; the exact number of casualties has vari ...

: up to 400 people are killed in four villages in the wilaya of Relizane.

1998

* January 4 -

Wilaya of Relizane massacres of 4 January 1998 The Wilaya of Relizane massacres of 4 January 1998 took place in three remote villages around Oued Rhiou about 150 miles (240 km) west of Algiers, during the Algerian conflict of the 1990s. At least 172 villagers were killed in a single da ...

; over 170 killed in three remote villages. * January 11 -

Sidi-Hamed massacre The Sidi-Hamed massacre took place on the night of January 11, 1998 (the last day of Ramadan), in the town of Sidi-Hamed (or Sidi-Hammad), 30 km south of Algiers. An estimated fifty gunmen participated, attacking children and adults; they ...

; over 100 people killed. * March 26 -

Oued Bouaicha massacre The Oued Bouaïcha massacre took place about 150 miles (240 km) south of Algiers, near Djelfa, on March 26, 1998, during the Algerian Civil War The Algerian Civil War ( ar, rtl=yes, الْحَرْبُ الْأَهْلِيَّةُ ال� ...

; 52 people killed with axes and knives, 32 of them babies under the age of 2. * June 25 - Anti-religious Kabyle singer Matoub Lounes assassinated. * September 14 -

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb ( ar-at, تنظيم القاعدة في بلاد المغرب الإسلامي, Tanẓīm al-Qā'idah fī Bilād al-Maghrib al-Islāmī), or AQIM, is an Islamist militant organization (of al-Qaeda) that aims to o ...

(GSPC) forms as a faction splits from

over its massacre policy. * December 8 - Tadjena massacre; 81 villagers killed.

1999

* April 15 -

Abdelaziz Bouteflika Abdelaziz Bouteflika (; ar, عبد العزيز بوتفليقة, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Būtaflīqa ; 2 March 1937 – 17 September 2021) was an Algerian politician and diplomat who served as President of Algeria from 1999 to his resignation in 2019 ...

elected president, all other candidates having withdrawn alleging fraud. * June 5 - The

Islamic Salvation Army The Islamic Salvation Front ( ar, الجبهة الإسلامية للإنقاذ, al-Jabhah al-Islāmiyah lil-Inqādh; french: Front Islamique du Salut, FIS) was an Islamist political party in Algeria. The party had two major leaders representi ...

(AIS), the FIS's armed wing, agrees in principle to disband and starts negotiating for an amnesty for its fighters. * November 22 - Senior

member

assassinated.

2000

* January 11 - AIS concludes its negotiations with the government for an amnesty and disbands.

2001

* September 23 - George W. Bush’s

Executive Order 13224 Executive Order 13224 is an executive order issued by U.S. President George W. Bush on September 23, 2001, as a response to the attacks on September 11, 2001. It has been renewed every year since. History In general terms, the Order provides ...

freezes assets of the

and GSPC as terrorist groups after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

2002

* February 8 -

, GIA leader, is killed in his hometown of Boufarik. (His death had been incorrectly announced on previous occasions.)

2003

* July 2 -

leaders Abassi Madani and Ali Belhadj released, having served 12-year sentences. * October 23 - GSPC leader

Nabil Sahraoui Nabil Sahraoui (26 September 1969 – 20 June 2004), alias Mustapha Abou Ibrahim, was an Algerian Islamist militant, and the head of the radical ''Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat'' (GSPC, later renamed Al-Qaeda Organization i ...

(having taken over from Hassan Hattab) announces that his group "strongly and fully support

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until his death in 2011. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, his group is designated ...

jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with G ...

against the heretic America as well as we support our brothers in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and

Chechnya Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...

2004

* June 20 - Government announces killing of GSPC head

. He is succeeded by Abou Mossaab Abdelouadoud. * July - GIA leader Rachid Abou Tourab killed, according to an interior ministry statement in January 2005.

References

External links

Chronologie d’une tragédie cachée
a timeline {{Years in Algeria Algerian Civil War

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...