Bouteflika is buried next to the heroes of the war of independence in Algeria

Former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who died on Friday, is buried on Sunday in the Martyrs Square in the El-Alia cemetery in the capital Algiers.

The El-Alia Cemetery is dedicated to the heroes of the War of Independence, but Bouteflika will not get all the honors as his predecessors.

Bouteflika, who stepped down under street pressure in 2019 after 20 years in power, died on Friday at the age of 84 at his medically equipped residence in Zeralda, west of Algiers.

The former president had been living in isolation for two and a half years and was due to be buried after noon prayers, state television reported.

All of his ancestors lay in the cemetery, along with great personalities and martyrs of the War of Independence (1954-1962).

Bouteflika’s health deteriorated and he was rendered speechless as a result of a stroke in 2013, and was forced to resign on April 2, 2019, following two months of mass demonstrations by a popular movement to reject his candidacy for a fifth consecutive term.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who was prime minister under Bouteflika, issued a statement on Saturday afternoon announcing the flotsam “for three days” in honor of “former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika”.

The deceased former presidents received a burial ceremony with each ceremony, similar to the first president of Algeria after independence, Ahmed Ben Bella (1963-1965), who was officially buried after his death in April 2012.

At this time, Bouteflika, who declared an eight-day national mourning period, personally accompanied the coffin from the People’s Palace where the body was first placed in the cemetery of El Alia, in the presence of all elements of the political class.

Bouteflika’s brother, Said, who is currently in jail on corruption charges, was allowed to attend the funeral, his lawyer Selim Hajouti said.