Algeria appeases protesters by lifting 19-year-old state-of-emergency

AFP - Algeria on Thursday lifted its state of emergency, 19 years after it was imposed, according to a decree published in the official gazette.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has "ordered the cancellation of the extension of the emergency measure put in place by presidential decree on February 9, 1992," said a statement published on the state newspaper.

His cabinet on Tuesday said the move was imminent after it adopted a draft order repealing the emergency measures, which the government adopted when Islamists waged a protracted guerrilla war following the cancellation of local election results in 1991.

Those results would have given a majority to the now-dissolved Islamic Salvation Front.

Bouteflika pledged three weeks ago to lift the state of emergency as demanded by the opposition following unprecedented protests last month that left five people dead and more than 800 injured.

Protesters rally on the symbolic May 1 Square in Algiers, under the watchful gaze of riot police. Photo credit: Tahar Hani/ FRANCE 24 Demonstrators voice their anger against the regime of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, waving the flag of Algeria. Credit: Tahar Hani/ FRANCE 24 Thousands of riot police have been deployed in and around May 1 Square. Credit: Tahar Hani/ FRANCE 24 An elderly woman chants slogans against the regime in defiance of police. Credit: Tahar Hani/ FRANCE 24 Riot police attempt to contain the protest, which is illegal under Algerian emergency laws. Credit: Tahar Hani/ FRANCE 24 One protester carries a portrait of Colonel Amirouche, a hero of Algerian independence. Credit: Tahar Hani / FRANCE 24 Demonstrators attempt to reach Martyrs Square but are pushed back by security forces. Credit: Tahar Hani/ FRANCE 24 Police armed with shields and batons close off the road to Belcourt, a working class neighbourhood of Algiers and a hotbed of dissent. Credit: Tahar Hani/ FRANCE 24 Riot police prevent protesters from entering May 1 Square. Credit: Tahar Hani/ FRANCE 24 A banner on May 1 Square calls for a “Free Algeria”. Credit: Tahar Hani/ FRANCE 24

The state of emergency gave free rein to security forces that effectively served to repress political freedom.

The 1990s war turned into a bloodbath, killing up to 200,000 people, according to official figures.