1988 October Riots
| 1988 October Riots | |
|---|---|
| Part of the history of Algeria (1962–1999) | |
| Date | 5–10 October 1988 |
| Location | |
| Caused by |
|
| Methods | Riots |
| Resulted in | End of the one-party system |
| Casualties | |
| Death(s) | 500 |
| Arrested | 15,000 |
The 1988 October Riots were a series of street-level disturbances and riotous demonstrations by Algerian youth, which started on 5 October 1988 and ended on the 11th. The riots were "the most serious" since Algeria's independence", and involved thousands of youth who "took control of the streets". Riots started in Algiers and spread to other cities, resulting in about 500 deaths and 1000 wounded although the official death count reports that 159 were killed with 154 protesters injured.
The riots indirectly led to the fall of the country's one-party system (Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) party had been in power since 1962) and the introduction of democratic reform, but also to a spiral of instability and increasingly vicious political conflict, ultimately fostering the Algerian Civil War.