Algerian police have arrested Said Bouteflika, the youngest brother of former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, and two former intelligence chiefs, Generals Bachir Athmane Tartag and Mohamed Mediene, security sources said on Saturday. No more details were available, and there was no immediate comment from police. The sources were confirming an earlier report from Ennahar TV. Said […]
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Wit and grit: Algeria’s sizeable youth lead fight for change
They’re on the peaceful front line of the protest movement that toppled Algeria’s longtime ruler, facing down water cannons with attitude, memes — and fearless calls for shampoo. Oil-rich Algeria is one of the most youthful countries in the world with two-thirds of the population under 30. They are politically engaged, educated, on social media […]
New head of Algerian constitutional council named
Interim President Abdelkader Bensalah appointed a new head of Algeria’s Constitutional Council late Tuesday after the former chief quit under pressure from protesters. A statement from the presidency said Kamel Feniche would be the new council president, replacing Tayeb Belaiz, who the state news agency APS earlier reported had submitted his resignation to Bensalah. Feniche, […]
Algeria’s tidy revolutionaries: cleanup after mass protests
Here’s one way Algeria’s protest movement is unlike any other: After massive pro-democracy demonstrations every week, the protesters themselves roam the streets picking up bottles, papers and other detritus left behind. It’s a powerful symbol of the movement’s peaceful, hopeful spirit. And it’s no small task after events like the latest protest on Friday, when […]
Algerian party, top union join army in seeking Bouteflika exit
Algeria’s biggest union and an influential party on Wednesday backed an army call for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to quit in a managed exit plan that was quickly rejected by protesters demanding the overthrow of the entire political elite. The statement from the National Rally for Democracy (RND), a member of the ruling coalition, came a […]