The Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois still doesn't know how two youths came to die in a transformer a year ago -- an incident that triggered weeks of rioting and vandalism. And despite promises made at the time, nothing much has been done to alleviate the conditions that helped raise frustration to a fever pitch.

An excerpt from the BBC story:

Zyed Benna, 17, and Bouna Traore, 15, were electrocuted while hiding in a transformer on 27 October 2005.

Many residents are convinced they were being chased by police - which the authorities deny.

Promises

For Clichy's youths, the incident was part of a pattern of provocation by police and neglect by the authorities that still prevails.

"The cops were responsible for the riots," says Benj. "They only come here to give us a hard time. We live in the same filthy environment. We want facilities - there are not even play areas for kids here."

Another 16-year-old agrees: "Police treat us like delinquents. And the situation has deteriorated in the past year."

This bleak assessment is confirmed by Clichy's youth workers.

"Kids do not burn cars just for fun," educator Mamadou Kanoute says.

"The violence expressed deep-rooted problems: unemployment, job insecurity, discrimination, a feeling of being marginalised. And things are going from bad to worse."

Frustration is greater, he adds, since the government has not kept promises - made after the unrest - of more funding for jobs and facilities in the suburbs.