2009 in Algeria - February

February

• February 5: Abou Djerra Soltani, head of the Movement of Society for Peace, said that he has no regrets for having once been a candidate of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), during the legislative elections of 1991.

• February 10: Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika designated April 9, 2009 as the date for the nation's presidential election. He invited a number of international groups to monitor the elections by sending observers.

• February 10: Growth in Algerian gas exports may disappoint European nations which hope to trim their reliance on imports from Russia. Algeria, the third biggest contributor of gas to the European Union is readying to step up its exports. It will add a pipeline to Spain and increase the capacity of its existing links to both Spain and Italy.

• February 14: The Algerian state news agency reported that two roadside bombs exploded in eastern Algeria, killing seven people. The first bomb detonated in Foum El-Metlag, close to the country's eastern border with Tunisia. Two police officers and a firefighter died when a second bomb exploded after rescue services arrived. The tragic events took place in the aftermath of President Bouteflika's announcement that he would seek a third term in office.

• February 18: Al-Jazeera aired a recording by members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in which they claim to have kidnapped two Canadian diplomats, one of them a former advisor to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. The men were abducted in Niger in December 2008. Salah Abu Mohammed, spokesman for the Algerian/North African group, also claimed responsibility for the capture of four European tourists in January 2009. The four were kidnapped in Mali, and are a British citizen, two Swiss, and a German.

• February 18: The Algerian Office of Childhood Protection and Minors' Crimes revealed that up to 1414 children in the country suffered sexual abuse in 2008. This included 762 female children and 652 male children.

• February 25: Nigeria and Algeria began talks in Abuja about completing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The agreement would implement the Trans Sahara Gas Pipeline, which will transport gas from Nigeria to be delivered to Mediterranean and European gas markets. The gas line will also pass through Niger and Algeria.

• February 25: A patrol associated with the Malian National Gendarmerie seized a sizable cache of arms and munitions intended to be delivered to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The arms load included a large number of machine guns and ammunition, launchers, mortars, and anti-tank missiles. The weapons were in transit from Guinea and were taken by authorities in Bamako, Mali. It is assumed that the cache was financed by the kidnapping and ransom of two Austrian tourists, who were later freed in November 2008. The Austrian government denies having paid for their ransom.

• February 25: Morocco expresses a willingness to discuss reopening its border with Algeria, which has been closed for fifteen years. It will also entertain talks concerning fighting terrorism, drug smuggling, and illegal immigration.

• February 27: Members of Algeria's North African wing claim to have killed nine security guards near an Algerian power facility close to Jijel, approximately 215 miles east of Algiers. The attack was carried out using bombs and mortars. The guards were employed by Sonelgaz, and they were working on an electricity dam.