Former Algerian president buried in Algiers

2012-10-09 99

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The funeral for former Algerian President Chadli Bendjedid took place in Algiers on Monday (October 8). The country's current president Abdelaziz Bouteflika was among the dignitaries attending the ceremony.

Bendjedid died in Algiers on Saturday (October 6) after a long illness, a presidential statement said.

Chadli Bendjedid was a veteran of Algeria's war against French colonial rule in the 1950s.

He was elected Algeria's third president in 1979 after the death of his predecessor Houari Boumedienne in December 1978.

Chadli Bendjedid was re-elected for five-year terms in 1984 and December 1988, and played a key role in 1990 in Arab League efforts to prevent the Gulf War.

He was forced out of office in January 1992 in a military coup as the Algerian military cancelled a legislative election which Islamists had won. The violence that ensued lasted until 1999.

Current President Abdelaziz Bouteflika declared a period of national mourning of eight days as of Saturday.