22 dead, 19 wounded in ethnic clash

daniel russell

July 9, 2015 4:17 PM

Armed groups from the Chaamba reportedly attacked three neighbourhoods of the Mozabite in Guerrara, located 100km away from Ghardia around 4 am on Wednesday.

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At least 22 people have died following an ethnic clash between Arabs and the Amazigh community in Ghardaia, Southern Algeria.

Reports suggest that the bloody unrest between the Chaamba (Arabs) and the Mozabite (Amazigh,) which broke out on Tuesday, continued in the M’zab valley, leaving more victims.

Attackers kicked inhabitants out of their homes and set houses, shops, public buildings, cars and palm groves on fire, Mohamed Debbouz, a local politician has said.

“According to sources at the hospital, dozens of Mozabites were killed by the firearms. At the end of the morning, Mozabites fought back, killing 4 or 5 five people among Chaambis and injuring dozens of them,” he stated.

19 people who were wounded in the two day clashes between Chaamba and Mozabite in the M’zab valley, according to Algeria’s National News Agency, APS, had died from their injuries, raising the death toll to 22.

This is the highest death toll since the start of the clashes that shook the region in 2013.

The bloody clash has prompted the president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to call an urgent security meeting.

daniel russell