Dear Editor,

On September 22, 1997 the Armed Islamic Group’s guerillas (GIA) massacred at least 85 people in four chaotic hours of murder. The next morning, rescue workers found a familiar horrific scene of maimed and gutted bodies. Some Islamists blame the GIA’s massacres on Algeria’s government but the majority of Algerians accept the GIA’s responsibility for numerous murders and rapes. Government targets were placed under protection, so the GIA attacked vulnerable villagers. Algerians safety needs improvement.

Conflict between militant Islamists and government security in 1992 killed 60,000 to 100,000 people. As stated in an issue of In These Times, October 5, 1988 is known as “Black October” because troops shot and killed over 200 protestors. Many Algerians felt this showed what little authority the National Liberation Front had in Algeria.

As stated in the Sun-Sentinel, Algerian massacres gain frequency. In Rais, raiders came as early as one in the morning and stayed until six. They leisurely entered homes to wake victims before slitting their throats. Before leaving, bodies and homes were looted and burned. Later, rescuers took corpses to hospital morgues where they could be refrigerated and claimed later.

The real tragedy frustrates Algerians; there aren’t enough options. Not many support the government and fewer are hopeful it can increase the economy or terminate massacres. We need to restore Algerians hope. Write to your congressmen and urge them to take action against the Algerian genocide.

Sincerely,
Hannah