Algeria Launches Retrial of Dozens of Suspects Accused of Belonging to Separatist Group

 Djamel Bensmail. (Social media)
Djamel Bensmail. (Social media)
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Algeria Launches Retrial of Dozens of Suspects Accused of Belonging to Separatist Group

 Djamel Bensmail. (Social media)
Djamel Bensmail. (Social media)

The Casablanca Appeal Court in the Algerian capital, Algiers, kicked off on Sunday the trial of more than 100 defendants, including 49 sentenced to death last year over the brutal killing of Djamel Bensmail, who they falsely accused of starting forest fires in the Kabylie region in the summer of 2021.

In a move signaling the gravity of the case, security forces deployed heavily in the court area and enforced strict security measures.

The case had received great media attention since the circulation of photos on July 11, 2021, showing 38-year-old Bensmail in the Tizi Ouzou region while he was beaten to death and set on fire by angry residents, who falsely accused him of starting fires himself in the region.

The list of accusations includes charges of premeditated murder, arson, torture and subversive terrorist acts targeting the security of the homeland, property and people and undermining national unity.

The police department investigating the case had issued an international arrest warrant against the separatist leader of the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (MAK), Ferhat Mehenni, who resides in France as a political refugee.

The defendants were accused of receiving orders from MAK for the killing of Bensmail.

In the video, the victim was seen begging the defendants not to burn him, assuring them that he came from the city of Miliana in western Algeria to help put out the fire that had been going on for days.

The victim was an artist from Miliana.

Last year, a court had sentenced 49 people to death over his killing.

Out of 102 defendants, 17 were acquitted, while the rest received prison sentences ranging from 5-10 years.

The initial trial of the defendants lasted several days. Lawyers expect the retrial to last longer.



Sudan Lashes Out at Kenya's 'Hostile' Support for Rival Govt

Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
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Sudan Lashes Out at Kenya's 'Hostile' Support for Rival Govt

Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)

Sudan's army-aligned administration lashed out Monday at what it called Kenya's "irresponsible and hostile" support for efforts by Khartoum's paramilitary rivals to form a parallel government.

Since April 2023, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, once allies, have been locked in a power struggle that has dragged the country into war.

Late Saturday, the RSF and a coalition of political and armed groups signed in Nairobi a charter that would pave the way for a "peace and unity" government in rebel-held areas, with Kenya's foreign minister later saying the proposed administration would restore "democratic governance" in Sudan.

Sudan's foreign ministry condemned the "dangerous precedent" on Monday, saying that "in a grave threat to regional security and peace, the Kenyan leadership has adopted the parallel government that the genocidal militia and its followers intend to declare in some of the remaining pockets under their control".

The government, it added, would take "the necessary steps to respond to this irresponsible and hostile behavior".

Those steps appeared to be taking shape Monday, with foreign ministry undersecretary Hussein Al-Amin Al-Fadil telling a press conference in Port Sudan that "measures against Kenya are escalating, and there are arrangements for economic measures, including a ban on importing Kenyan products".

He also said Sudan was in the process of withdrawing its ambassador from Nairobi and would file a complaint against Kenya through regional and international channels.

Among the signatories of the charter was a faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which controls parts of the southern states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The United Nations warned that the signing of the charter would "increase the fragmentation" of the war-torn country.

But in a post on X on Sunday, Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi called the charter "a peace agreement", describing the proposed administration as a "a unity government" that would restore "peace, stability, and democratic governance in Sudan".

In its statement, Khartoum accused Nairobi of creating a "false facade for the militia to directly obtain weapons", while "relieving regional sponsors of some embarrassment".

The foreign ministry said that this "would expand the scope of war and prolong its duration" and warned of potential damage to bilateral ties with Kenya.

Fadil said Monday that Kenyan President William Ruto "has known personal interests with the militia leader and its sponsors, and is betting on losing cards".

Saturday's signing of the charter comes as the army and its allied factions are making advances against the RSF in the capital Khartoum and in central Sudan.

The war in Sudan, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives, erupted after a rift emerged between Burhan and Daglo over the future structure of the government.

The war has triggered the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.

Both warring sides face accusations of committing grave atrocities against civilians, with their leaders sanctioned by the US.