Which former colony of france was torn apart in the 1990s by a deadly civil war between the government and islamic militants?

The correct answer is Algeria

The war began in 1991 when there was a coup to remove an Islamic government from power. The current government of the time lost the elections to an Islamic group and a coup was staged that removed them from power. This sparked a massive civil war which lasted from 1991 to 2002 and involved the government and numerous other Islamic groups.