The 30th consecutive Friday protest also included demands that the authorities release Karim Tabou, a prominent opposition leader who has been held since Wednesday and charged with “contributing to weakening army morale”.
Also, here is a couple pieces of interesting information
Algeria is a key gas supplier to Europe and it is a U.S. partner in its fight against militant Islamist groups in the Sahara and Sahel regions.
As of yet, I don't believe I've read about the US getting involved in Algerian politics -- not that it isn't happening, just that I don't believe I've read any articles that hinted at our involvement.
Al Jazeera (Sept 16) has an article up on the upcoming elections:
Algerians will head to the polls on December 12, the country's interim president [Abdelkader Bensalah] said, as weekly protests have continued in the north African country for more than six months.
. . . But army chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaid Salah has repeatedly called for an election as soon as possible, despite the opposition and protesters rejecting a vote.
. . . Meanwhile, police have increasingly cracked down on protesters. More than two dozen arrested during Friday's march were jailed, their lawyers told the TSA online media outlet.
As those who have followed events in Algeria already know, some of the former president's allies (Bouteflika) were arrested on corruption charges. Now there appears to be a crack down on the protestors.
Al Jazeera also had this to say on Sept 18th:
Algeria's powerful army chief has ordered buses and cars bringing protesters into the capital to be stopped and seized, the latest in a series of measures aimed at quelling weekly demonstrations demanding a purge of the old ruling elite.
. . . . He reiterated his claim that protesters are being manipulated by networks of "the gang" - a reference to those who held powerful positions under Bouteflika. The ex-president's brother and two former intelligence chiefs have been jailed and are awaiting trial, starting Monday, on charges of plotting against the state.
The army seems intent on ending the protests and the way they're doing it is interesting. The Army is attempting to tie the protestors with former president Boutflika. The protestors are the ones who pushed the Army to remove the former president and now they're being identified as supporters of the president.
I wrote this back in early April when I started following what was going on in Algeria and believe that what I wrote back then holds some truth:
Here's what I'm reading into this: the Algerian military doesn't know how to deal with the protests though it feels it must. They probably weren't expecting these protests against the current president to occur and had no game plan. Though it is mentioned that Bouteflika fired many of the military leaders, I'd assume that those currently high up in the military are enjoying perks that they don't want to give up, which means they want the right person to replace the president. My bet is that they're looking for someone who will be acceptable both to the power brokers and the protestors. If that individual can't be found, I suspect there will be crackdowns on the protestors. Those are my first thoughts. I'll keep an eye on what is happening.
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