BASICS:
Safety
Algeria has not been high on traveller's lists in the last years. Civil strife has since 1992 torn the country, and its people, into fragments. The country's international reputation has been destroyed for years to come, the economy has dropped from being one of Africa's strongest into becoming totally disorganized. But it is the acute dangers of simply being a foreigner, along with a "no-visa, no tourists"- politics of the Algerian governments, that have laid the former small Algerian tourism dead. For some months n 1996 the situations seemed to stabilise, with an improvement of living conditions and security, as well as declining popularity of the Islamists (FIS, and especially the extreme GIA), and a lassitude of average Algerians, and many expected that the conflict could soon be brought to an end. At the very present, there have been an escalation of violent actions, and nobody would now dare to say what will come in the last months of 1996, and the first of 1997. Tourism seems to still be completely out of the question. Even if Algeria is no longer as dangerous as before, precautions must be taken all the time you stay here. A low profile, staying away from cheap hotels, staying indoors at night, and most certainly avoiding narrow streets, and using popular transportation, are all efforts that must be implemented, and which will turn your stay in Algeria into fairly safe. Travelling around Algeria for foreigners is strongly controlled these days, the authorities are very much conserned about not detroying their international reputation more. A zone stretching from Algiers, along the coast, until Oran in the west of Algeria, is reported to be the only area where tourists can move around in. Foreign workers have only access to those areas where the authorities feel that they guarantee people's safety. Your nationality plays an important role. Being from EU involves high risks, while North Americans should have little to fear. All this has to do with different countries approach towards the Islamists of Algeria. While France and other European countries have given total support for the secular governments of Algeria, countries like USA have chosen a more neutral line, actually preparing for good relationships with a future Islamist governments of Algeria. People from Asia, Africa and other Arab countries still runs a risk, even if not targeted specificly. 99% of all killed have been Algerians. While many of these have been fighting Islamists, and police troops, civilians can never move around with full security.
