Algerian Man Kills His Wife and Neighbor, Then Commits Suicide

In the second station neighborhood in Ghliyazan, western Algeria, a horrific murder was committed by a former member of self-defense groups. The Algerian newspaper "El Nahar" reported that "his wife and his neighbor, who was shot in the right thigh and later died at Mohamed Boudiaf Hospital, fell victim to this crime." It added that "the perpetrator committed suicide with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, while the reasons for the crime remain unknown so far." The murderer is 62 years old, his wife is 47, and the neighbor is 56 years old. Security forces have opened an in-depth investigation to uncover the circumstances of this horrific crime. It is noted that the number of self-defense group members, or "patriots," as they are called, is in the tens of thousands and they were armed by the Algerian authorities at the onset of violence in the country in early 1992, where they worked alongside army forces in forested and mountainous areas. They are distributed across about 37 provinces, but are densely concentrated in central provinces such as Medea, Ain Defla, Bouira, Blida, and Jijel, and most of those who took up arms are simple people, farmers, and residents of remote areas and mountains.