Béni Ounif

Béni Ounif is a town and commune in Béchar Province, Algeria, coextensive with the district of Béni Ounif. It has a population of 10,732 as of the 2008 census, up from 8,199 in 1998, and had an annual growth rate of 2.8%, the second highest in the province. The commune covers an area of.HistoryThe Béni Ounif massacre took place in the commune near the Moroccan border, on 15 August 1999. Guerrillas stopped a bus at a fake roadblock and killed some 29 people. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika suggested that the terrorists in question had found shelter in Morocco, but later retracted the accusation. The Moroccan Interior Minister Driss Basri denied the allegations.GeographyBéni Ounif lies at an elevation of 829m on the Oued Zouzfana downstream of Figuig. To the south the landscape is mostly flat, with a few small hills, while to the north there is a range of taller, rocky hills running from west to east along the Algeria-Morocco border. Aside from the river valleys which support vegetation and agriculture, the low rainfall in the area results in an arid, barren landscape.ClimateBéni Ounif has a hot desert climate, with very hot summers and cool winters, and light precipitation throughout the year, especially in summer, although a little more rain does fall than in other towns in Béchar Province.EconomyAgriculture is the main industry in Béni Ounif. The commune has a total of of arable land, of which is irrigated. There are a total of 71,800 date palms planted in the commune. As of 2009 there were 23,210 sheep, 16,664 goats, 1,766 camels, and 444 cattle.