Algeria: Police Officers Stage Protest

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/world/africa/algeria-police-officers-stage-protest.html

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Algerian police officers tried to push their way into President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s headquarters on Wednesday in a protest prompted by violence against security forces in the south. About 300 officers marched to his office, and some tried to push their way past the front gate but were stopped by guards. The president’s chief of staff tried to talk to the protesters, but was met with boos and hisses. The protesters were showing support for colleagues in the southern oasis city of Ghardaia, where riots have broken out and security forces have reportedly been attacked. About a dozen people have been killed and many shops burned since December in the riots, as Berber and Arab communities compete for scarce jobs and housing. The unrest comes amid concerns that the president, who has barely been seen in public since his re-election in April, is too ill to lead.