The body of former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was buried today, Sunday, in the Alia cemetery in the eastern suburb of the capital, after he died at the age of 84, more than two years after he stepped down under the pressure of unprecedented popular protests.
Bouteflika's body was transferred in an official funeral procession from his residence to his burial place in the Martyrs Square, along with former presidents and senior Mujahideen in the Great Liberation Revolution (1954-1962).
The road to the cemetery was cut off in order to allow the official procession to reach the El Alia cemetery in Algiers.
Members of the security forces in front of the high cemetery in the capital, Algiers (Reuters)
procession
The funeral procession crossed about 30 km between the Zeralda region in western Algiers, where the late president had been staying since he suffered a stroke in 2013, and the El Alia cemetery, about 10 km from the center of the capital.
Television channels showed the corpse being carried on a cannon vehicle pulled by an armored vehicle covered with roses.
The country's authorities announced that the national flag would be lowered for 3 days, to mourn the departure of Bouteflika, who passed away on Friday evening, and an official burial ceremony was held, with the participation of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and senior state officials.
Bouteflika ruled Algeria for 20 years (Reuters)
Judgment and resignation
Bouteflika ruled Algeria for 20 years, before resigning in April 2019 after street demonstrations rejected his plan to run for a fifth term.
The stroke that affected the late president in 2013 caused him to lose the ability to walk, and he has been moving in a chair since that time, and he has lost much of his mental abilities in the last two years, and his last appearance was at the headquarters of the Constitutional Council in 2019, when he was forced to resign before the end of his term by about A month and a half under pressure from the popular movement rejecting his candidacy for a fifth presidential term.
Bouteflika has disappeared since submitting the resignation, and was visited by his brother Nasser and his sister who take care of his needs at his home.
It is noteworthy that Bouteflika was a veteran of Algeria's war for independence, and took leadership positions in the Algerian revolution before independence, and in the country after it, and led Algerian diplomacy in the Cold War period.