Algeria

Egypt vs. Algeria – the “hate match” has already kicked off online

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:29:18 +0100

Illustration from the Lounis blog

The Algerian Fennecs take on the Egyptian Pharaohs for a place in the 2010 World Cup on November 14. With a week still to go before the game, things have already turned nasty, both countries accusing the other of corruption.

The qualifier is crucial. For the moment, Algeria have the higher ground - a draw or even a 1-0 defeat would still leave them on their way to South Africa. Egypt, who need to win by a margin of at least two goals to qualify, are hoping the home advantage will give them a helping hand.

For the fans, the battle has already begun. Insults, aggro and accusations of corruption abound on the Net. Several Facebook groups have urged FIFA, the football governing body, to choose an impartial, European, referee for the match, after the Egyptians were accused of wanting to buy their choice of a suitable candidate.

Chinese migrants in Algeria – cohabitation "impossible"?

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:09:28 +0200

On August 3 violent clashes broke out between local residents and Chinese immigrants in a suburb of Alger. Our Observer in Blida, 50km from the capital, explains that reasons behind the conflict are economic as well as cultural.

Algeria: “A real risk of a mass uprising”

Sophie Team Observers — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:24:51 +0200

So infuriated by "administrative burdens", protestors piled burning tyres onto a major motorway leading to the Algerian capital on Saturday.

Residents from Sikh Ounteddour, a village in the northern coastal Kabylie province, began filling the motorway with debris as a way to protest against a disorganised social services system which they say is slowing down and complicating their lives. Blocking major routes as a method of protest has become something of a normality in Algeria, raising concerns that a general uprising is imminent.

Video posted on YouTube 26 July 2009 by "algeriachannel".

The Algiers metro – 26 years on and it’s almost ready

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:53:45 +0200

This time, it's not a joke. Twenty-six years after the idea was drafted, the Algerian capital could, perhaps, have its very own metro by 2010. Our Observer tells us that it's almost ready - he's even got the photos to prove it.

Earlier this month, Transport Minister Amar Tou made the exciting announcement that the public opening of the Algiers metro should take place early 2010. About time - the project was officially launched in... 1983. Since then, between economic crisis, political instability and public insecurity, the project has been repeatedly pushed to the bottom of the pile. It's out-run five presidents and squandered 140 billion dinars (around 200 million euros). The subject has become something of a joke for Algiers' residents.

Stretching over nine kilometres, the metro's first line will connect ten locations from the centre to the east of the city. The first train will run at 5am, and the last at 11pm. A special police force has been set up to take charge of the stations and their surrounding areas. The Parisian metro security, RATP, has been called upon to supervise arrangements for the first five years.

Bouteflika's Kabyle charm offensive

Team Observers — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:50:16 +0200

With President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s re-election a done deal, Algerians are expected to shun the country’s electoral proceedings on April 9. The incumbent has launched a major charm offensive in the Kabylia region, where scepticism of the central power has long kept people away from polling stations.

And what about you, planning to vote?

“After this warm welcome, I can finally rest in peace,” joked the Algerian president during a rally in Tizi Ouzon, in the country’s north-eastern Kabylia region, on March 27. As he embarked on a passionate plea for “national unity”, Bouteflika said he could not imagine Algeria being deprived of Kabylia. He also outlined a plan to boost the region’s economy. According to Said Sadi, leader of the opposition RCD party, the president’s camaign has spent 3.8 million euros in Kabylia alone. Yet, despite these efforts, calls for a boycott of the vote have thrived in a region still haunted by memories of the bloody crushing of riots in 2001. In the last presidential election in 2004, turnout in Kabylia was particularly low, even by Algerian standards: a mere 17.80% of voters bothered to cast a ballot.

Ghardaia, a city under mud

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:07:06 +0200

A cluster of towns in Algeria endured over a week of catastrophic and fatal flash floods after the banks of the Oued M'Zab burst, leaving nearby buildings buried under thick sludge. Our Observer in the area filmed the extent of the damage on his mobile phone.

Torrential rains started to fall in the region on the morning of 1 October, also the last day of Ramadan, when Muslims break their fast and celebrate Eid. In just a few days, the Ghardaia palm grove and the rest of the valley were covered in a layer of mud.

Although barely reported in the press, the catastrophe killed 34 people and injured 89. From the nine towns labelled disaster areas by the authorities, ten thousand buildings were washed away in the floods. Although the main roads into the towns have been reopened, people are denouncing the government for a delayed rescue reaction. The authorities say that it was because of the force of the water, and blamed the extent of the damage on the city's haphazard construction.

Posted on 2 October by "adeloul18".

Scenes from a civil war?

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:44:00 +0200

This amateur footage was shot in Oran on Monday. It's no civil war - these rioters are supporters of a local football club, Mouloudia, which just found out that their team will be relegated to the country's second division next season for the first time in 42 years. The chaos lasted for three days while the city's youth looted shops and vandalised public buildings and cars. Seventy police officers were injured in attempts to restrain the hooligans.

Algerians react to attacks

Julien — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:21:31 +0100

The Algerian capital was rocked by two car-bomb attacks yesterday morning, leaving around sixty dead (hospital source), and the Algerian people dismayed. One of them, who now lives in France, filmed himself with a message to the terrorists which he posted on YouTube: ‘I'm Muslim, don't kill in my name!'

Post your questions to Mahi, our observer in Algeria