 Officially, the languages of Algeria are Arabic and Berber, but in practice, most Algerians speak a language called Darija that is a mixture of Arabic, Berber and French, which explains why French expressions are often used in Algeria.Arabic has been the official language of Algeria since 1962, but French remains the language of power in Algeria and cabinet meetings are conducted in French, the language of the Algerian elite, who often struggle with Arabic.During the civil war, the DRS, led by Mediene, headed efforts to repress Islamist groups.