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

, the Garde Communale (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

: الحرس البلدي), was a paramilitary troop in charge of monitoring and protecting the

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

during 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 ...

Creation

The Garde Communale was created in 1996 as an auxiliary force by the Algerian government, under the impetus of the

Algerian People's National Armed Forces french: Armée nationale populaire , image = ANP.png , alt = , caption = People's National Army emblem , image2 = , alt2 = , caption2 = , motto = ...

authority. It played a significant role

counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that Government, governments, law enforcement, business, and Intelligence agency, intellig ...

warfare against armed Islamist groups.

History

During the Algerian Civil War, the Algerian Army forces responsible for the security of the country in the big cities and the communes, were confronted with surging terrorist attacks which caused many losses in their ranks. The military authorities, eager to relieve the army, which practically alone bore the weight of the anti-

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run ...

, decided, jointly with the Ministry of the Interior, to create a communal guard on 3 August 1996. To do this, they recruit from the same pool as the guerrilla factions and local armed bands. Young people from the former

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 representi ...

join the municipal guard, by political calculation or by necessity. In the difficult economic situation of young people, a job in security is a godsend. The recruits were supervised by the Gendarmerie Nationale and received an accelerated training of two months, wore the uniform and were paid, the government was able to offer them advantages such as housing and cars, but remained suspicious and did not entrust them with more sophisticated weaponry. The Garde Communale was placed under the authority of the

mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

of the DEC (Communal Executive Delegation) and the

walis Elis () or Eleia ( el, Ήλιδα, Ilida, grc-att, Ἦλις, Ēlis ; Elean: , ethnonym: ) is an ancient district in Greece that corresponds to the modern regional unit of Elis. Elis is in southern Greece on the Peloponnese, bounded on th ...

(prefects) and integrated into the new anti-guerrilla fight system, the communal guard succeeded in securing reconquered urban areas and allowing the army counter-terrorist corps to undertake its first attacks against 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 gov ...

maquis in 1994. Members of the communal guard did not leave city centers in their early stages, and were only ever operational inside urban centers. The Garde Communale was sometimes employed in search operations against armed Islamist groups in the mountains.

Dissolution

The Garde Communale was dissolved by decree on 31 October 2012.Mouvement social :Nouveau malaise chez les ex-gardes communaux , REPORTERS ALGERIE
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References

Algerian Civil War Law enforcement in Algeria Paramilitary organizations Military units and formations established in 1996 1996 establishments in Algeria Civil–military relations Military of Algeria Military units and formations disestablished in 2012 2010s disestablishments in Algeria {{Algeria-hist-stub

Creation

History

Dissolution

See also

References