Singer's funeral sparks new riots

RIOTING erupted and one man died in Algeria's Berber region yesterday after tens of thousands of people attended the burial of Berber singer Lounes Matoub.

Four people have now been left dead and about 100 have been injured in riots sparked by Matoub's assassination on Thursday.

Shortly after the funeral, unrest again broke out in nearby Tizi-Ouzou, the regional capital 100 kms (60 miles) east of Algiers. Youths attackedgovernment buildings and stoned police, who responded with gunfire. A young Berber man was killed, residents said on condition of anonymity.

Authorities did not confirm the death, but they announced earlier that a third man had died yesterday of injuries from rioting.

Security forces kept watch in stifling summer heat yesterday as Berbers packed the village burial, demonstrating against Muslim militants who murdered their singer and a government which is trying to silence their language.