President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria postponed the nation’s April 18 election on Monday, and said in a statement that he would no longer run for re-election after serving four terms. State news agency Algeria Press Service shared Bouteflika’s message with the nation, following the 82-year-old leader’s return from medical treatment…
Reports from Switzerland suggest Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika may be headed home after two weeks of medical care, a trip that’s kept him outside of a country in turmoil over his bid for a fifth term. Agence France Presse shared video late Sunday afternoon that showed the same convoy that…
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika issued a statement Sunday seeking to reassure an Algeria in turmoil that he hears the concerns of thousands of protesters, and will remain a candidate in upcoming elections but then institute reforms and shepherd a transition to new leadership. “The commitments I make before you will, of…
Young Algerians took to the streets on Friday to protest the possibility of a fifth term for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the ailing 81-year-old who has been Algeria’s leader since 1999. The marches in Algiers, Oran, Sidi Bel Abbès and beyond featured signs and slogans to oppose another term for the…
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria confirmed on Sunday his intentions to run for a fifth term, one day after his National Liberation Front party said the 81-year-old will run again. Bouteflika’s bid, announced on the Algeria Press Service state news channels, included the promise that if elected he would begin…
Speculation over a possible fifth term for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is running high in Algeria, where a spokesman for Democratic National Rally (RND) party – a key coalition member of the country’s presidential alliance – said Wednesday that he’ll announce a decision next week. Chihab Seddik, speaking with Algerian outlet…
Cultural practices from three African nations have been named by UNESCO to this year’s list of “Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.” The decisions were made by an intergovernmental committee meeting in Mauritius through Saturday. In Algeria, it’s the role of elders who manage water resources in the…
Officials in Spain say they’ve arrested 19 people, including an Algerian previously connected with the September 11 attacks in the United States, after breaking up a credit card fraud ring in Madrid. Spain’s National Police said the group created fake credit cards by skimming and cloning them, and were responsible…
Khalifa Haftar, head of the Libyan National Army, has in recent days threatened to move on Tripoli, retaliate against Algeria over allegations its military is crossing into Libyan territory, and called Italy an enemy of the Libyan people. “Tripoli must be liberated and will not remain in spoiled hands,” Haftar…
Hundreds of migrants rounded up in Algeria have arrived in Niger, despite the Algerian government’s strong denials that it is forcibly removing the primarily West African migrants and dumping them in the desert. Migrants from Guinea, Cameroon and other nations tell the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that they are…
Algeria will observe three days of mourning following the crash of a military airplane in Boufarik that claimed the lives of all 257 people on board. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika issued the mourning decree and also called for the victims to be remembered during Friday prayers, while sending condolences to the families…
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey began a tour of four African nations on Monday in Algeria, where he met with Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia to discuss cooperation on counterterrorism, energy, and economic development and trade. It is Erdoğan’s second visit to Algeria since becoming president in 2014 and he…
President Emmanuel Macron of France is headed back to the African continent on Wednesday, this time for another stop in Algeria before he continues on to Qatar for an official state visit. Macron is expected to meet with both longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, who returned…
Algerians head to the polls Thursday for local elections, and President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is encouraging the nation’s 23 million eligible voters to turn out in droves. They’ll be choosing candidates for 48 provincial assemblies and more than 1,500 communities. Thousands of polling stations are ready, while some in nomadic regions began…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
A popular American television show has upset many Algerians because of its cliché-driven portrayal of the North African nation, one they see as negative no matter how fictional the drama. The “Madam Secretary” series stars Téa Leoni as Elizabeth McCord, a former CIA analyst who serves as the United States…