Washington, DC — Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has announced his decision to make Berber a national language, finally yielding to months of pressure and protest by Kabylie pressure groups. But in an address to the nation, he refused to grant another key demand, saying it was "inconceivable" that he would pull the paramilitary gendarmes back from the Berber region of Kabylie.
The speech was delivered on the occasion of a meeting between Bouteflika and Kabyle representatives on how to address Berber demands for better social and political conditions in Kabylia and other parts of the country.
The region has been in turmoil since a young Kabyle was killed in detention last year.
During his hour-long speech at the Club des Pins convention centre in the capital, Algiers, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika told delegates of the Kabylie "Citizens Movement" that the Berber language, Tamazight, would, in future, be recognised as a national language by the constitution, which says that Arabic is the country's official language. The move, he added, "is part of the spirit of consolidation of the comprehensive process that aims to restore a unique national identity."
But Bouteflika said that the constitutional amendment would be made without recourse to a referendum because not every Algerian would favour Tamazight's new status.
Bouteflika's audience, made up not only of Kabyle representatives but also of government ministers, members of parliament and other state officials, reacted with jubilation to his decision to officially recognise Tamazight. The decision was hailed by some Kabyle delegates as a historic moment in the long struggle for official recognition of their language. Others, however, were less impressed.
The daily La Tribune reported a delegate as saying that the Citizens Movement "is not just about the issue of identity. It is also a social movement with a project for a progressive, just and modern society. Tamazight is already a national language. We don't need a gushing speech to know it."
Many Kabyles say President Bouteflika's government cannot meet the aspirations of Algerians for more social justice, not just in Kabylie, but throughout the country. They accuse Algiers of being controlled by a small group of army generals unwilling to renounce their privileges in the interests of a more democratic system.
President Bouteflika's speech, ahead of May's legislative elections, dealt with some of the Kabyles' demands, included in the Platform of El Kseur, named after the district where they were first announced last year.
One of the most controversial demands is a call for the withdrawal of the paramilitary gendarmes from the Kabylie region. In April 2001. the gendarmes were accused of killing a Berber student while he was in detention, sparking a series of violent clashes with the security forces. Hundreds of thousands of protesters also took to the streets in the capital, Algiers, prompting the government to launch an investigation.
In his speech on Tuesday, Bouteflika said that while the state is willing to repair the large-scale damage caused by the riots and to recognise the responsibility of some gendarmes, it would be inconceivable to pull the entire force out of the region "at a time when the whole country continues to do battle against terrorist barbarism and other forms of delinquent behaviour."
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Kabyle hardliners, who reject anything less than full acceptance of all their demands, are already threatening a boycott of the May poll. Ikhlef Mohamed, another delegate from the Souk El Tenine region, told La Tribune Bouteflika's speech was "generally similar to what we have been hearing over the past forty years. Rejection of the elections will be our response to the speech."
The movement for the recognition of Berber culture and language in Algeria has been on the rise since independence from France in 1962, in the face of growing arabisation throughout North Africa. There are no accurate statistics but many Berber associations say up to a quarter or more of Algeria's population are Berber, a figure thought to be even higher in neighbouring Morocco.
