Draft:Januaryists

The Januaryists[1] are the generals of the Algerian army (ANP) who decided, on January 11, 1992, to interrupt the second round scheduled for the January 16 1991 parliamentary elections.[2] This second round would have resulted in a swift victory for the Islamist party, the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS). They won 188 seats in the first round of the elections, the December 26, 1991.[3] A major decision followed by a long, dark decade marked by armed Islamist violence, frustrated by their victory, having launched armed actions with the formation of guerrilla groups.

The halt

Main articles: 1991 Algerian parliamentary election and 1992 Algerian coup d'état

This halt to the electoral process was undertaken by an unofficial body, the "army conclave". It secretly convened at the headquarters of the land forces command in Ain Naadja, bringing together all the general and senior officers of the ANP. Around fifty people gathered around the Minister of Defense, including the Chief of Staff, the Director of the Department of Intelligence and Security (DRS), the Director of Counter-Espionage, the central directors of the ministry, and the heads of the six military regions.[2] among them;

  • Mohamed Mediène, known as "Toufik": General and head of the DRS during the interruption of the electoral process, in office until September 2015
  • Khaled Nezzar: Major General and Minister of Defense, he joined the High State Committee (HCE) in January 1992 His withdrawal from the political scene dates back to 1994.
  • Larbi Belkheir: A retired major general and Minister of the Interior in 1992, he later became Chief of Staff to President Bouteflika after a period in the political wilderness. He died in January 2010.
  • Abdelmalek Guenaizia  : General and Chief of Staff, he was at the forefront. From 2005 to 2013, he was Minister Delegate for Defence after fifteen years spent in Switzerland as ambassador.
  • Mohamed Lamari: General, Commander of Land Forces in January 1992 He was promoted to major general and appointed chief of staff in 1993, then to lieutenant general. He resigned in 2004 and died in February 2012.
  • Mohammed Touati  : He was a director at the Ministry of Defense and later a member of the National Dialogue Commission. A retired major general, he also served as Bouteflika's security advisor.
  • Banabbès Gheziel: Commander of the National Gendarmerie , then military advisor to Bouteflika.
  • Hacen Aït Abdesslam: Major General in charge of the Department of Military Manufacturing.
  • Le Monde also cites General Ahmed Boustila.[4]

Action

The army chiefs strongly urged the participants to sign a text demanding the resignation of President Chadli Bendjedid, "who, through his policy of compromise with the Islamists, seeks to force the officers of the ANP into retirement." and they justified the coup with the following arguments[5]:

  1. The Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) wants to seize power by force.
  2. If the FIS were to come to power, it would respect neither the constitution nor the laws and would ruin the country politically and economically.
  3. There is a need to ensure order and restore the authority of the State.
  4. It is urgent to promote economic takeoff and to fight against unemployment. The army is supported in its actions by secular and democratic political parties . The "Januaryists" acquired a "new legitimacy" by proclaiming themselves "saviors of Algeria," positioning themselves in the name of "defending democracy" as guarantors of "secularism"  against the threat of "fundamentalism." In the eyes of both Algerian society and international opinion, they became the "bulwark against fanaticism." The halting of the electoral process took the form of a veritable coup d'état  : the dissolution of the National Assembly and the forced resignation of President Chadli Bendjedid on January 12, 1992. This demonstrated the fragility of his position (the army had brought him to power in 1979). The arrest of all the main Islamist leaders and the dissolution of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS).[5]


References

  1. ^ Malti, Hocine (2012). "17. 1992-1998 : la guerre civile des généraux « janviéristes »". Poche / Essais (in French): 295–303.
  2. ^ a b "Algérie : voyage au coeur de l'armée". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2026-04-20.
  3. ^ Malti, Hocine (2012-10-11). Histoire secrète du pétrole algérien (in French). LA DECOUVERTE. p. 298. ISBN 978-2-7071-7509-0.
  4. ^ "En Algérie, départ forcé pour le général « Toufik », puissant chef du renseignement". Le Monde. September 13, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Mohamed Sifaoui : Histoire secrète de l'Algérie indépendante - L’État DRS. pp. 288, 300.
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