Nairobi — Last month's terrorism acts in Morocco and Algeria have rekindled fears that the region might face a new period of instability and insecurity. After a relative calm, Algeria's capital Algiers was hit by renewed car bombs. This time by suicide bombers. That was a break from past patterns and caught the population and security forces by surprise.

Noting that it was unusual for militants of the Algerian Salafist Group of Preaching and Combat (SGPC) to use the "kamikaze strategy" in their operations, Mr H'mida Layachi, director of the Algerian newspaper Al Jazair News wondered whether it was "because of their recent allegiance to the al Qaeda movement".

A series of setbacks

Nevertheless, he argued that "the alignment of SGPC to al Qaeda is more symbolic than structural or organisational", and also that "the new SGPC strategy is the result of a series of setbacks (including the) loss of popular support in the stronghold areas of Tizi Ouzou and Boumerdes following the national reconciliation plebiscite." Mr Layachi also saw the killing of many SGPC leaders and their armed militants by Algerian security forces as contributing to their change tactics.

Mr Layachi suggested that politically and militarily weakened and in disarray, the SGPC had resorted to terrorist acts to gain international media attention.

Therefore, the April 11 attacks, which targeted a government palace (the heart of Algerian executive power) and a police station, ultimately enabled the SGPC to present itself as unique and real representative of al Qaeda in the Maghreb, Layachi argued.

However, other observers see a more local message in the SGPC terrorism. Arezki Daoud, and editor with the North Africa Agency, argues that the "latest bombings are a message to the Algerian authorities about the limits of National Reconciliation charter which was an incentive for many insurgents to give up. Mr Abdelaziz Belkhadem the Prime Minister and Secretary General of the ruling National Liberation Front (NLF), however remains optimistic about the reconciliation project.

"Reconciliation has not failed, those who failed are those who push to despair", he said, adding that despair did not justify violence and terrorism. "I am more inclined to support wholeheartedly and indefinitely the reconciliation," the Prime Minister affirmed.

His colleague from the coalition, former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia known as "eradicator", however, takes a tougher line. "When facing terrorism, we don't have to speculate or hesitate, you have to be tough and fully determined to fight fiercely and wipe out all remaining pockets of terrorism," he said.

Weakened the reconciliation

The political class and civil society and the rest of the population are swinging between the conciliatory approach of Prime Minister Belkhadem and the no half measures attitude of his predecessor Ouyahia.

Layachi admits that terrorism acts have somehow weakened the reconciliation process and argues that some aspects of the policy could be reviewed. "If this is done", he said, "it will be an opportunity for republican, democratic and patriotic forces to re-appropriate the political arena from those who are utterly opposed to conciliatory measures for armed groups."

Either way, the government will have to settle on some decisive measures, as a lot rests on the security situation. The huge sum of $150 billion (Sh1,050,000,000,000) has been allocated for major projects in the country, such as the East West highway, investment in transportation and many more.

This expenditure will make a significant different on the ground. But, observers say that if political and economic initiatives to stabilise the country remain insufficient; if the high youth unemployment is not tackled; and social justice and genuine democratic and pluralistic political systems are not entrenched, conditions could only play further into the hands of the extremists.

Zaghlami writes for Nation Media Group titles from Algeria.