Chancellor Merkel's visit to Algeria has been called off because President Bouteflika is too sick to meet. The two-day trip was part of an effort to stem migration from North Africa in an election year in Germany. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's two-day trip to Algeria was postponed at the last minute on Monday owing to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's severe case of bronchitis. German and Algerian authorities agreed to reschedule the visit due to Bouteflika's "temporary unavailability," the APS state news agency reported, citing a presidential statement. Steffen Seibert, Merkel's government spokesman, wrote on Twitter that the Algerian government requested the postponement and that "the chancellor complied with the request."

Source: The North Africa Journal February 21, 2017 09:59 UTC