Leading Algerian businessman Ali Haddad, who was part of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s inner circle, has been arrested at the Tunisian border, a close associate said on Sunday, as pressure mounted on the long-standing leader to resign. During weeks of protests demanding an end to his 20-year rule, Bouteflika has been abandoned by several close allies but there have been no reports of any prominent supporters being detained before Haddad. “Yes, Haddad has been arrested,” his associate told Reuters on condition of anonymity, without elaborating. Several Algerian television stations broadcast news on the detention of Haddad, a media magnate who helped to fund Bouteflika’s election campaigns over the years. Bouteflika’s announcement that he would not seek a fifth term but that he would not quit immediately has failed to assuage protesters, who want an overhaul of the North African country’s entire political system.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 31, 2019 10:07 UTC