According to our information, a Swiss tourist was murdered ten days ago while she was with four other people on vacation in Djanet, in the south-east of Algeria. Friday October 11, she was seated on the terrace of the Skaner café, in the city center, right next to the Onat, the Djanet tourist office. This oasis, located 2,300 kilometers south of Algiers, is considered one of the “tourist jewels of Algeria”, according to the Algerian press. But this October 11, in a few minutes, the carefree nature offered by this idyllic setting was turned upside down.
The Swiss tourist, whose identity has not been disclosed, was allegedly attacked and brutally slit by a man with a bladed weapon. “She was evacuated to Djanet hospital where she lost a lot of blood, the doctors were unable to save her,” explains a source, in close contact with people on site. Two men were reportedly arrested. One of them, arrested by the population itself. “They are two guys from the north of the country, who came here for six months and dressed as Tuaregs. Without knowing whether it is an isolated or claimed act,” believes the same source. Which adds: “For the moment, it’s completely hushed up. Nothing comes out, even on social networks. On site, the watchword is radio silence. Everyone complies.”
“We are not actively communicating”
Contacted by On Monday October 21, the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed for the first time “having become aware of the violent death of a Swiss citizen on October 11 in the south-east of Algeria”. And explained that she took charge of the group of four people who were with her, since evacuated to Switzerland, while adding that“no further information will be given”. A silence which would be the rule for this type of affair: “When faced with these types of situations, we do not actively communicate. We answer the questions and that’s it”, we explain from Berne.
It remains surprising that in 2024, such a violent assassination in a tourist region has not been reported anywhere for ten days. And in particular by the Algerian authorities. It is true that this murder can awaken bad memories of the years of lead, in a country which now relies on tourism to boost its economy.
Open investigation
Algeria welcomed 3.3 million tourists in 2023, including 2.2 million foreigners, and 800,000 foreign visitors in the first quarter of 2024 alone. The issuance of visas, for the first time in recent history of the country, has been largely reduced. And the National Tourist Office continues to promote “destination Algeria”, which has already raised $1.6 million in 2023. However, it is precisely a stone’s throw from the local branch of this organization that the Swiss tourist was murdered in Djanet.
This oasis which adjoins the Tassili n’Ajjer national park, listed as a UNESCO heritage site, constitutes one of the most popular destinations for foreign but also Algerian tourists. Long a forbidden zone, like the entire south of Algeria, due to insecurity, this region with breathtaking landscapes, alternating deserts and gigantic rocks similar to stone statues, very recently opened to tourism, in 2022. This that year, with the inauguration of a direct Paris-Djanet connection, this destination already attracted nearly 3,000 tourists. It now welcomes at least 150 tourists per week. “We come to Djanet once and we want to go back.” underlines a tourist in a YouTube video. Evoking “a secure country and hospitable people”. Since the murder of the Swiss tourist, security has been reinforced, including military checkpoints. An investigation would also have been opened.
Source: www.liberation.fr
