Clashes rage in Berber region

Riots were sparked by the death of a youth in police custody

Clashes between Berbers and Algerian security forces flared up again on Sunday in the Kabylie region, with reports saying the number of people killed in the past week had risen to 50.

There have been pitched battles in the centre of Tizi Ouzou, the main city of this fiercely independent Berber region, about 90km (55 miles) east of Algiers, between masked stone-throwing demonstrators and police firing teargas.

These are serious events... We will deal with the issue

Interior minister Zerhouni

The Berbers, who make up about a third of the population, have long opposed Algeria's military-backed government and want their language to have an equal status to Arabic.

Correspondents say their main concerns are currently social ones, arising from mass unemployment and housing shortages.

Algerian Interior Minister Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni has criticised the local authorities for failing to tackle their problems, Algerian radio reported on Sunday.

'Communication problem'

"These are serious events," Mr Zerhouni said, ahead of a planned visit to Tizi Ouzou.

The authorities say police were left with no choice

"It is a fact that the administration has problems communicating with constituents. We will deal with the issue. First, we will have maximum discussions with the people concerned and see how to find solutions," he added.

Mr Zerhouni said he could not put a figure on the number of people who had died in the confrontations, but said the toll had been "exaggerated a little bit" by the media.

The riots are believed to have been sparked by the death of an 18-year-old Berber in police custody a week ago and the subsequent beating of three other teenagers.

The three were accused of insulting gendarmes at a vigil held to commemorate a state crackdown of the "Berber Spring" in 1980.

Week of violence

Correspondents say Berber militants responded with calls for protests, and the clashes spread like wildfire to villages across the region.

President Bouteflika: Facing Islamist and now Berber challenges

On Saturday, doctors at Tizi Ouzou's main hospital said four demonstrators had been killed by gunfire. One of the dead had been shot at point blank range in the head, a nurse said.

On Saturday alone, at least 29 people were killed in the Kabylie region, local residents said.

In Bejaia, further to the east, a protest march on the police station degenerated into violence, residents said.

Students, led by teachers, had intended to deliver a statement demanding that gendarmes leave the region and be replaced by other security forces.