The Black Spring (
Kabyle: Tafsut Taberkant) was a series of protests and political demonstrations by
Kabyle activists in the
Kabylie region of
Algeria
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in 2001, which were met by repressive and violent
police measures and became a potent symbol of Kabyle discontent with the national government. The protests took place against a backdrop of long-standing cultural
marginalization of the Highlander Kabyle, a homogeneous Berber linguistic group in Algeria (Berber speakers form some 25%–35% of the total population, although exact numbers are disputed) despite the most rigid government-sponsored
Arabization
Arabization or Arabisation ( ar, تعريب, ') describes both the process of growing Arab influence on non-Arab populations, causing a language shift by the latter's gradual adoption of the Arabic language and incorporation of Arab culture, aft ...
measures of the 1960s through the 1980s having been lifted. The name "Black Spring" alludes to the events known as the
Berber Spring
The Berber Spring (in Berber: Tafsut Imaziɣen or simply Tafsut for "Spring") was a period of political protest and civil activism in 1980, claiming recognition of the Berber identity and language in Algeria, with events mainly taking place i ...
of the 1980s, in which mainly Kabyle civil society activists challenged the ban on Berber culture then in place, demanding cultural rights and democracy.
Events
In 2001, a young Kabyle student,
Massinissa Guermah, was arrested by
Algeria
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n
gendarmes
Wrong info! -->
A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to "men-at-arms" (literally, " ...
and later died inside the
gendarmerie. This provoked large-scale
riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people.
Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targeted ...
s in the Kabyle region, that lasted for months.
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
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 201 ...
's government claimed that the real name of Massinissa was in fact Karim and that he was a jobless criminal aged 26. Several months after these statements, the government admitted that his real name was in fact Massinissa (named after
the historical Berber king of ancient Algeria), and that he was an innocent high school student. The Minister of the Interior
Yazid Zerhouni
Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni ( ar, نورالدين يزيد زرهوني) (1937 – 18 December 2020) was the interior minister of Algeria. He was born in Tunis. In 2000, he was hospitalized in Algeria, Algiers with an undisclosed condition. ...
said that he "was badly informed". No apologies were given to the victim's family, however, and the riots did not stop. Bouteflika's government maintained that the Kabyles were being "manipulated by a foreign hand".
A march that brought many tens of thousands of Kabyles into the capital,
Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques d ...
, was organized by the
Arouch
The Arouch Movement or Berber Arouch Citizens' Movement ( Kabyle: Leɛṛac; French: ''Mouvement citoyen des Aarchs'') is an organization in Algeria representing the Kabyle people, a Berber group of the province of Kabylie. Their name, ''Arouch'', ...
movement, which along with the autonomist ''
Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie
The Movement for the self-determination of Kabylie (MAK; Kabyle: ''Amussu i ufraniman n tmurt n iqbayliyen''; french: Mouvement pour l’autodétermination de la Kabylie, named Movement for the autonomy of Kabylie ( Kabyle: ''Afraniman i Tmurt n Y ...
'' sprang from the civil activism surrounding the disturbances. The demonstration was followed by confrontations between the local population of Algiers and the demonstrating Kabyles. The
police sided with the "''Algérois''" and state television thanked "''les Algérois'' for having defended their town from the invaders". Since then, public marches in Algiers are prohibited.
Victims
As of April 2001 (few days after the beginning of the black spring) there were 43 young Kabyles killed. As of July 2001, there were 267 young people shot by bullets, of which 50 died (18,7%). The Issad commission notes that "It is only comparable to military losses in very tough battles during war time, The security forces, at the same time and at the same place do not present any wounded man by bullets, nor anyone killed by bullets."
As of April 2002, the Algerian Human Rights League reports 126 Kabyles killed, 5000 wounded of which 200 have become permanently disabled, and thousands of arrests, bad treatment, torture and arbitrary detentions.
At the end of the Black Spring events, the Algerian press reported 126 Kabyles were killed,
and thousands were severely injured in the riots, or tortured by the Gendarmerie paramilitaries.
Results
In the end, Bouteflika agreed to some of the Kabyle demands.
Gendarmes
Wrong info! -->
A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to "men-at-arms" (literally, " ...
were withdrawn from Kabylie, and the
Berber language
The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight,, ber, label=Tuareg Tifinagh, ⵜⵎⵣⵗⵜ, ) are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related languages spoken by Berber commu ...
(Tamazight) was made a "national language" in the 2002
Algerian Constitution (but not an "official" language, on par with
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 ...
, until 2016).
The traditional Berber
political parties,
Saïd Sadi
Saïd Sadi ( Kabyle: Saεid Seεdi) (born 26 August 1947) is an Algerian politician who was President of the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) until 2012. He is founder of the first Algerian human rights league.
Born at Aghribs, now in Tiz ...
's
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and ...
Rally for Culture and Democracy
The Rally for Culture and Democracy ( ber, Agraw i Yidles d Tugdut; ar, التجمع من أجل الثقافة والديمقراطية; french: Rassemblement pour la Culture et la Démocratie, RCD) is a political party in Algeria. It promotes ...
(RCD) and
Hocine Aït Ahmed
Hocine Aït Ahmed ( ar, حسين آيت أحمد; 20 August 1926 – 23 December 2015) was an Algerian politician. He was founder and leader until 2009 of the historical political opposition in Algeria.
Life
Aït Ahmed was born at Aï ...
's
socialist Front of Socialist Forces (FFS), were partly marginalized by the radical grass-roots activism and violent forms of protest. Instead, new movements rose to the fore in Kabyle politics: the Arush (Arouch) movement and the
Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie
The Movement for the self-determination of Kabylie (MAK; Kabyle: ''Amussu i ufraniman n tmurt n iqbayliyen''; french: Mouvement pour l’autodétermination de la Kabylie, named Movement for the autonomy of Kabylie ( Kabyle: ''Afraniman i Tmurt n Y ...
(MAK), whose
regionalist ambitions for
autonomy
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ow ...
marked a new evolution in Kabyle politics.
The region of
Barbacha
Barbacha is a small region containing 34 separate villages in northern Algeria in the region of Kabylie. The population is mainly composed of indigenous Amazigh people from the Kabyle tribe.
History
Following the 2001 Black Spring in Algeria, ...
has managed to gain a significant degree of
autonomy
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ow ...
, giving hope to many Kabylie activists.
See also
*
List of modern conflicts in North Africa
References
{{reflist, refs=
[{{cite news , title= Printemps berbère 1980 : un acte manqué ? , trans-title = , date= 2010-04-17 , newspaper= Le Matin d'Algérie , url= https://www.lematindz.net/news/3052-printemps-berbere-1980-un-acte-manque-.html , accessdate=2019-11-02 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191102220353/https://www.lematindz.net/news/3052-printemps-berbere-1980-un-acte-manque-.html , archive-date= 2019-11-02 , url-status=live ]
External links
Algerian Human Rights League reportThe report of Issad's Commission Report, established by The president BouteflikaBlack Spring’s Martyrs list
2001 in Algeria
2002 in Algeria
Berberism in Algeria
Kabylie
Opposition to Arab nationalism
Protests in Algeria
2001 protests
2002 protests