SUMMARY

GIA – El Ahd Battalion (Groupe islamique armée: Armed Islamic Group – Covenant Battalion)

GIA – El Ahd Battalion (Groupe islamique armée: Armed Islamic Group – Covenant Battalion) is a splinter group from the Algerian rebel group GIA (Groupe Islamique Armé, Armed Islamic Group) also known as Al-Jama’ah al-Islamiyah al-Musallah. GIA emerged in 1992, in the turmoil following the banning of the Islamic party FIS (Front islamique du salut, Islamic Salvation Front) after its victory in the parliamentary elections. GIA’s goals were focused on the re-islamisation of the Algerian society; they adhered to a strict interpretation of the Islamic values and beliefs. Their overall goal was a society built on Islamic values, in Algeria, but ultimately, the world. GIA was initially led, and formed by, Mansouri Miliani, a former member of MIA (Mouvement islamique algérien; Armed Islamique Movement), another islamic rebel group active in Algeria at the time. Eventually several groups merged into GIA, making it one, of two, large rebel groups in Algeria, the other one being AIS (Armée Islamique du Salut, Islamique Salvation Army). In 1997 a nationwide ceasefire was declared by AIS, in addition there was a denunciation concerning the use of violence towards civilians. This ceasefire was received by GIA in a differentiated manner; it subsequently led to the formation of several sub groups of GIA, which have been, active in various categories of organized violence.

The formation of GIA - El Ahd [the Covenant] battalion was a result of infighting within GIA. The Covenant battalion first engaged in non-state violence in 1998, fighting its former brothers in arms; the Green battalion, one off the other branches of the GIA mother party. The skirmish that took place in 1998, marking the entry of the Covenant battalion into the UCDP data was not followed by any other battles. The infighting which prompted the split, in combination with an offensive by Algerian authorities in 2004 effectively halted the organization. The decrease in activity as of 2004 was matched by an upsurge of violence conducted by other splinter groups of GIA, namely GSPC (Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat) who evolved from the original GIA group. During the intensified action of the Algerian military forces in 2004 several top members of various networks were either killed or arrested, this was, concerning the Covenant battalion, the end. The remaining members were requited by other Islamic networks but as an organized group the Covenant battalion was obliterated.

GIA - El Ahd battalion has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.