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A funeral began Sunday in Algeria for Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the country’s longest-serving president in North Africa, in a cemetery of his independence heroes, but without the honors accorded to leaders who died before him.
Bouteflika died on Friday at the age of 84, having lived as a recluse since he was ousted from power more than two years ago.
The veteran strongman left office in April 2019 after the military abandoned him after weeks of street protests sparked by his candidacy for a fifth presidential term.
He came to power in 1999 on a wave of popular support as his offer of amnesty to Islamist militants helped end a ten-year civil war.
An armored vehicle towed the flag-covered coffin onto a cannon carriage adorned with flowers and escorted by lines of police officers on motorcycles.
His successor President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, members of the government and foreign diplomats gathered at the cemetery, guarded by security agents in blue and black uniforms.
The procession traveled from Bouteflika’s retirement home to the cemetery east of downtown Algiers, as passers-by filmed it with their cell phones.
Bouteflika, pictured on February 8, 2009, served as president for 20 years. By Fayez Nureldine (AFP / File) Only journalists from the Algerian national public media had access to the ceremony itself, and the official mourning period will last only three days instead of eight.
Without fanfare, unlike previous presidential deaths, state television announced that Bouteflika would be buried in El-Alia, where his predecessors are buried.
The People’s Palace, where other presidents had been deposed, appeared to have been prepared to display his remains before burial. However, the uncovered lie has been overturned, sources said.
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 on social networks around the figure of Bouteflika”.
She added that decision-makers were unsure of what to do “because among the political, administrative and economic elites there are quite a few who are products or profiteers of the Bouteflika era”.
Muted reactions
The news of his death has sparked mixed reactions in the former French colony, and some see his two decades of rule as a time of missed opportunity.
Algerian security forces stand guard in front of the El-Alia cemetery where Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the oldest president of the North African country, is to be buried in the capital Algiers on September 19, 2021. By RYAD KRAMDI (AFP ) He wanted to surpass his mentor, the second president of the country Houari Boumediene, with achievements including a strengthening of the regional influence of Algeria and “turning the page of the black decade” of the civil war which left around 200,000 dead. said Louisa Dris, professor of politics at the University of Algiers. said Ait Hamadouche.
Instead, “state institutions have never been so weakened, so divided or so discredited,” she said.
In the streets of the capital Algiers, many residents told AFP that the formidable former president would not be missed.
A retiree, Ali, said Bouteflika “served his country, but unfortunately he 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 to wear his signature three-piece suit even in the sweltering heat, and gained respect as Foreign Minister in the 1970s as well as for helping to foster peace. after the civil war.
Algeria was largely spared the uprisings that swept across the Arab world in 2011, which many attribute to memories of the civil war and increased state handouts.
Algerian police officers surround demonstrators on February 22, 2019 during a demonstration against Bouteflika’s candidacy for a fifth term. By RYAD KRAMDI (AFP / File) But Bouteflika’s reign was marked by corruption. Despite its oil wealth, Africa’s largest nation has found itself with poor infrastructure and high unemployment.
Bouteflika has been criticized by rights groups and opponents who accused him of being authoritarian.
He suffered a mini-stroke in April 2013 which affected his speech and he was forced to use a wheelchair. However, he still decided to run for a fourth term.
His 2019 candidacy for a fifth term sparked protests that quickly turned into a pro-democracy movement known as “Hirak”.
Some personalities of the Bouteflika era were eventually imprisoned, but the old guard of his time still largely reigns over the country.
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