Algeria's state of emergency lifted

Algeria has officially lifted the state of emergency in force for the past 19 years, the official APS news agency reported on Thursday.

The order of lifting the statement of emergency was published in the official journal, which repeals a legislative decree of Feb. 6, 1993 to extend the duration of the state of emergency declared by a presidential decree on Feb. 9, 1992,said the report.

The Algerian authorities imposed a state of emergency in 1992, which was a security measure under the exceptional circumstances the country experienced at that time, after the resignation of President Chadli Ben Jadid as Islamists won majority in the first multi-party legislative elections.

In late 1991, the extremist Islamist Salvation Front (FIS) won the first round of parliamentary elections, which were then called off by the regime with the support of the military.

The country has faced an increasing threat by Islamist militants since the 1990s. The security situation in Algeria has witnessed a significant improvement in recent years since the government adopted the national reconciliation policy and stepped up military strikes.

However, terrorist attacks against the army and the police still occur frequently in the northeast region of the country.

Source: Xinhua