The BBC World Service reported on June 11 that officials released at least 15 jailed Amazigh activists in the Kabylie region as the start of a series of efforts to open dialogue between the Algerian government and the Berber movement. Belaid Abrika, who is seen as a figurehead for the Amazigh movement in Algeria, was among those released. The activists were released on bail, and they are due to go on trial later this year, mainly for ‘breaching the peace’ during a series of protests. Some in the Amazigh movement expressed hope that the move indicates the government is becoming more serious about addressing the unrest and sporadic violence that has been going on for the past two years in the Kabylie region.
