The Role of the Azzaba Council in Local Crisis Management: A Case Study of the Brian Crisis (2008–2009) in Ghardaïa Province

Abstract

This study examines the role that has been played by the Council of ʿAzzāba as a societal religious body endowed with profound historical legitimacy, which has a distinctive organizational reservoir within the M’zab Valley society. This study also sheds light on how this Council has been able to manage one of the most intense crises in this community, which was known as the Berriane crisis in 2008-2009. The actual problematic of this research aims to examine how this Council has been able to control societal interactions and how it has been able to manage rising tensions amid societal transformation and value shifts among this society of M’zabis. The problem of research touches on the degree to which the ‘Azaba Council was able to impose control on social interactions and manage tensions in the face of transformative and value-shifting changes witnessed by the M'zabi society. It also explores whether the traditional mechanisms used by the Council were really capable of correcting the crisis's course and mitigating its implications, alongside if they could be applicable as models for similar societies. The study employed a descriptive and analytical method, coupled with a case study method that seeks to analyse the crisis management course in relation to organisational structures of the Council, its instruments of intervention, and its effectiveness in containing tensions.  To this end, it used directed interviews, direct observations, and documentary evidence, which allowed it to deconstruct the different Council role types in the course of the crisis, in relation to issues such as social mediation, societal de-escalation, cooperation with official authorities, as well as rebuilding trust in society when faced with escalated violence.

The conclusions demonstrate that despite being faced with challenges emanating from the waning potency of traditional institutions as well as from the complexities of societal transformation in contemporary society, ʿAzzāba Council has maintained a potent capability for mobilizing social capital and steering it towards de-escalation. The ʿAzzāba Council has been able to identify a middle ground that would facilitate agreement between the conflicting parties, showing tenacity in carrying the burden of the resultant crisis. This has been informed by its symbolic legitimacy as well as a robust ethical control system in place. This study concludes that in order to present an important model of how traditional institutions of society can be effective in the management of local crises, it would be essential to examine the experience of ʿAzzāba Council that occurred in the crisis of Berriane. This will help in highlighting the importance of a complementray approach in combining traditional structures with official governance, which would enhance stability, community-based conflict prevention, and establish peace in society.