Algerias Bloody Years

Algéries chronicles the countrys struggle for peace stability and democracy since independence from France The documentary combines recent and archival interviews newsreel footage and recently filmed footage from Algeria to trace the origins of the violence that has left as many as 200000 dead since 1988 Algéries begins with a brief historical survey of events in Algeria since independence in 1962 and moves on to focus on the democratization process set in motion after the October 1988 riots the success of Islamist groups in elections the subsequent cancellation of these elections by the military and the countrys descent into violence up to the present day The film provides an excellent overview of recent events and asks tough questions about their causes and humanizes a conflict that was all too often reported deep inside the newspaper with little more than score cards of the numbers killed