The anti-government protest movement in Algeria has entered its seventh month, reported Al Jazeera. The demonstrators gathered on the streets in Algiers and other major cities on Friday to call for the removal of the ruling elite, shouting “Free and democratic Algeria” and a “Civil state, not a military one”.
The protesters directed their anger at army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah, who has emerged as the key powerbroker since president Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned in April in the face of mass protests, as well as at Karim Younes, an ex-speaker of the lower house appointed by authorities to head a national dialogue to pave the way for presidential elections.
“Karim Younes does not represent us and Gaid (Salah) does not rule us!” the demonstrators shouted.
“We will not be fooled by any dialogue. The people are conscious. They are not idiots,” they chanted.
The protests, which began in February, were initially against long-serving President Bouteflika’s plans to remain in office, but it went on to demand the removal of the ruling elite including interim president Abdelkader Bensalah and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui.
In related news, Algerian prosecutors have launched an inquiry into a stampede that took place ahead of a rapper’s concert at an Algiers sports stadium and left five people dead, including a 13-year-old.
In a statement released on Friday, the prosecutor’s office in Sidi M’Hamed said an inquiry has been opened to determine the circumstances in which the crush took place on Thursday night. Thousands had gathered at the concert of local rap star Abderraouf Derradji, known as Soolking, in a stadium in Algiers.
According to the TSA online news site, a stampede that erupted at the entrance to the stadium killed five people aged 13 to 22. The civil defense spokesman Khaled Benkhelfallah said 86 others were rescued. He said there is no information about the circumstances that led to the stampede.
