Algiers: At least 18 people have been killed in clashes between Arabs and Berbers in Algeria’s desert town of Ghrdaia, with several businesses burned down, medical sources and state media said on Wednesday.
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The clashes erupted when a group of unknown youngsters with knives and firearms attacked a private bus.
Fifteen people died of wounds on Tuesday night and another four people died of their wounds in hospital on Wednesday, a local medical source told Reuters.
A shaky calm was restored last January after the two sides reached a truce initiated by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
It was not immediately clear how many security forces were in the region. One person was fatally wounded in Ghardaia when hit by a rock to the head.
Some protesters carried banners that read “I, Ghardaia” among others, witnesses said.
The daily El Watan reported gunfire during the unrest, and wrote that “masked hordes on big motorbikes were combing neighborhoods of Guerrara and seeding terror among the population”.
Three people had died Monday, mainly in the small town of Guerrara, near Ghardaia, state media said.
Ghardaia, a Unesco world heritage site, has been at the epicentre of the unrest. The area has often been a flashpoint for clashes as Arabs and Mozabites compete for jobs, houses and land.
Tumult erupted in the area after centuries-old relations between its Arabs and Berbers broke down in December 2013.
The army says more than 100 Islamists were killed past year.
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The three-point plan issued by the president’s office Wednesday also included an order to put in place already-decided programs to spur economic and social development.
