Algeria on Wednesday buried army commander Ahmed Gaid Salah, who had been the country’s de facto strongman in recent months and guardian of an establishment challenged by mass protests.
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After a funeral befitting a head of state, the retired general was buried in the Martyrs Square of the Al-Alia cemetery, where former presidents and other important Algerian figures are buried.
The wooden coffin containing the body of Gaid Salah, who died of a heart attack on Monday at the age of 79, was on display for four hours at the People’s Palace in the center of the capital Algiers before being taken in a procession to his final resting place. .
Thousands of people gathered at palace gates, along procession routes and in cemeteries to pay their respects not only to the man who served as army commander for a record 15 years, but also to the man for whom months of protests have become the face of the political system. did. It is opposed by the railing.
Gaid Salah became the country’s de facto shadow leader after longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika was forced to resign in the face of massive street protests in April.
But as the funeral procession departed, the crowd saluted Gaid Salah with calls and shouts of “Allah Akbar” (God is great).
The convoy was led by a police officer in ceremonial uniform in the back of a truck, flanked by outriders on motorcycles.
The coffin was placed on a battery pulled by an armored personnel carrier and taken in the afternoon along a route of about 10 kilometers (six miles) to the cemetery where Gaid Salah was buried.
Thousands pay their respects
State dignitaries paid tribute to the deceased at the palace. The palace was built in the 18th century for the Ottoman governor and is currently used for state ceremonies.
Several officers carried the coffin, which was welcomed by Interim Army Chief of Staff Saeed Chengriha along with other military personnel.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune arrived shortly after the procession and paid his respects to the coffin before offering his condolences to the relatives of the deceased.
According to official results, Tebboune won the December 12 presidential election with 58.1% of the vote, although turnout was less than 40%. The poll was dismissed by protesters as a ploy to consolidate the power of Gaid Salah and other ruling elites.
After the victory, Tebboune awarded Gaid Salah the highest honor of the National Order of Merit, which is usually given to heads of state. After the general’s death, he announced three days of national mourning.
Bouteflika’s interim president, Abdelkader Bensala, and other dignitaries also gathered in front of the coffin.
Video broadcast by several television stations showed a crowd gathering at the palace gates and a small group of civilians entering the palace, pausing briefly to pay their respects in front of the coffin.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs asked imams to lead prayers in memory of Gaid Salah on Wednesday.
Gaid Salah has been heavily criticized by the protest movement, particularly in the run-up to the Dec. 12 presidential election, which was rejected by a movement demanding deep-rooted political reforms before the vote.
Crowds gathered at the palace in the morning chanted a modified version of the protest slogan calling Gaid Salah a traitor, instead saying: “The army and the people are brothers and Gaid Salah is a martyr.”
(AFP)
