Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Monday confirmed he will stay in power beyond his term expiring next month, despite tens of thousands of people demonstrating against his rule. Bouteflika announced on March 11 he was withdrawing from his bid for a fifth term, initially sparking elation …
Read More »Algeria’s Bouteflika drops bid for fifth term after protests
Alger, Algeria | AFP | Algeria’s ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced Monday he is dropping his bid for a fifth term in office, scrapping the upcoming elections altogether after weeks of protests against his candidacy. “Peacefully, we have overthrown the puppet!” people sang in Algiers following the president’s decision. Celebratory honking …
Read More »Algeria police brace for further anti-Bouteflika demos
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Police deployed Wednesday in the Algerian capital with water cannons, a day after thousands of students demonstrated against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s re-election bid. Although the city remained calm, security forces were bracing for further protests on Friday as demonstrators have vowed to take to the streets until the 82-year-old …
Read More »Dozens arrested in protests against fifth term for Algeria president
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Security forces arrested 41 people during angry protests that rocked Algeria’s capital against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika seeking a fifth term, authorities said Saturday. Police fired teargas on Friday afternoon to block a protest march on the presidential palace, prompting demonstrators to respond with stone-throwing. The …
Read More »Sudan opposition to keep up protests despite emergency
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s main opposition party on Saturday dismissed President Omar al-Bashir’s declaration of a state of emergency, saying protesters would keep up their campaign until his three-decade rule was ended. On Friday, Bashir imposed a nationwide state of emergency and dissolved the federal and provincial governments in …
Read More »Sudan accuses protest leaders of threatening national security
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan on Thursday accused campaigners spearheading protests against President Omar al-Bashir’s rule of threatening national security and advocating violence, as hundreds of demonstrators staged more rallies. The country’s acting Information Minister Mamun Hassan warned of taking legal action against protest leaders after campaigners vowed to …
Read More »Under-fire Bashir vows peace push for Sudan war zones
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who has faced weeks of protests against his three-decade rule, pledged to promote peace in the country’s war zones in an address to paramilitary units on Wednesday. “I assure you that the year 2019 will be the year of peace in Sudan,” the president told members of …
Read More »Fuel protests turn deadly in Zimbabwe
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Violent protests in Zimbabwe claimed lives on Monday as soldiers were deployed after the embattled government more than doubled fuel prices, sparking widespread anger. Protesters burnt tyres and barricaded roads while cars were torched as demonstrations turned violent in the capital Harare and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s …
Read More »Macron unveils ‘great national debate’ to calm protests
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday spelled out the questions underpinning his “great national debate”, a public consultation aiming to quell “yellow vest” anger after nearly two months of sometimes violent protests. Macron made his appeal in a “letter to the French” released on Sunday, …
Read More »France vows tough response as new ‘yellow vest’ demos loom
Paris, France | AFP | France braced for a fresh round of “yellow vest” protests across the country on Saturday, with the authorities vowing zero tolerance for violence after weekly scenes of rioting and vandalism in Paris and other cities over the past two months. Officials have warned they expect …
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