Many citizens object to the ailing president’s attempt to serve a fifth term in officeAlgerians have begun five days of general strike as protests against the rule of the ailing president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, entered a new phase. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across Algeria on Friday, marking the third week of demonstrations against the rule of 82-year-old Bouteflika. “Sonatrach has nothing to do with the strike,” said an employee who answered a call to its offices. He said: “It’s a direct existential threat to the regime, as energy production is effectively the lifeline of the country. If instability propagates and reaches the sector, the regime would be in panic mode.

Source: The Guardian March 10, 2019 16:48 UTC