Islamist militancy in Nigeria is being strengthened by western and regional fossil fuel interests The kidnapping of over 200 Nigerian school girls , and the massacre of as many as 300 civilians in the town of Gamboru Ngala, by the militant al-Qaeda affiliated group, Boko Haram, has shocked the world. But while condemnations have rightly been forthcoming from a whole range of senior figures from celebrities...
The different trajectories of South Africa, Algeria and India demonstrate that liberation is a god nations worship at their peril National liberation ends colonial or settler rule but all too often then rests like a dead hand on the politics of independence. In many regions of what used to be the old western empires, parties that trace their descent from liberation movements enjoy a pre-eminence that...
Frail president makes inauguration speech after election victory dismissed by opponents as unfair Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been sworn in for a fourth term as Algeria's president after he won an election that opponents dismissed as unfair and returned to power for another five years. Sitting in a wheelchair and dressed in a navy three-piece suit and crimson tie, the 77-year-old placed his right hand...
Ukraine crisis brings questions over human rights in countries such as Azerbaijan, Algeria and Qatar to the fore George Osborne and Boris Johnson were lined up to speak, the London Stock Exchange (LSE) was to provide the venue and the Royal Philarmonic Orchestra the evening entertainment. A plush red carpet was rolled out by the British establishment last month but not for senior politicians or business...
Abdelaziz Bouteflika received 81% of the vote, although opposition claims victory was result of 'fraud on a massive scale' The Algerian president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, has won a fourth term in office with a landslide victory, the government has announced. Despite concerns about Bouteflika's health after the 77-year-old suffered a stroke last year, the interior minister said Bouteflika had received...
Presidential elections hold no promise of democracy for Algerians who are desperate for their own Arab spring A frail pensioner in a wheelchair casting a vote was billed as a triumph for Algeria today. Those of us who watched Abdelaziz Bouteflika being pushed towards a temporary polling station at a school in the El Biar district of Algiers certainly felt a sense of occasion. The 77-year-old president...
Algerian police throw tear gas at protesters who try to disrupt voting on Thursday in the village of Rafour. Demonstrators say the result of the ongoing presidential election is already know and call the process a 'farce'. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is expected to win after 15 years in power, despite being rarely seen in public since having a stroke last year Continue reading... ...
Ailing incumbent Abdelaziz Bouteflika expected to win fourth term, but early reports suggest a low turnout Algerians have gone to the polls to elect a president, with the elderly and frail incumbent widely expected to win amid uncertainty about how the country's grave economic problems would be tackled. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, a veteran of the generation that won independence from France in 1962, is...
Abdelaziz Bouteflika is expected to be re-elected for controversial fourth term, but abstention rates could hit 80% Algerians go to the polls on Thursday to choose a president, with the elderly and frail incumbent expected to win amid deep uncertainty about how the north African country's grave economic problems will be tackled. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, a veteran of the generation that won independence...
Project to plant 1.5 million trees to symbolise regime's longevity instead leads public to question government's sense of priorities Along Le Moutonnière, which connects the centre of Algiers with the suburb of El Harrach to the west, and all along the recently refurbished seafront at Les Sablettes, thousands of newly planted palm trees stand to attention. Hundreds more have been planted to...
In terms of sheer numbers, April will be the most democratic month the world has ever seen as national elections take place in half a dozen countries with total electorates of more than one billion people in India, Afghanistan, Hungary, Indonesia, Algeria and Iraq ...
Andrew Hussey's study of the legacy of French colonialism deserves our admiration Some years ago, I wanted to make a film about young North African males. I wanted to know what went wrong in their lives, how they turned first to crime and, when they were caught and imprisoned, to Islam. I went to many banlieues , hanging out with teenage gangsters. It seemed important to find out why they hated France...
Belbacha has been transferred to custody of Algerian government after being held for 12 years without charge A Guantánamo Bay detainee who is fighting a legal battle against US authorities over force-feeding at the detention centre has been released after being held for more than a decade without charge, the American government has announced. Ahmed Belbacha was first cleared for release in 2007 by...
s largest – and newest democracies. As well as the 800 million eligible to casts their ballot in India from 7 April , another 190 million have the right to vote in Indonesian elections on 9 April. In terms of size of electorate, India and Indonesia are the world's first and third largest democracies. The US is second. Twelve million Afghans are eligible to vote in presidential elections on 5 April,...
Economic problems heralded by falling oil and gas production in a country heavily dependent on hydrocarbon exports At 8.30pm on 22 February a magnitude 4.1 quake shook Algiers. Some local wits suggested it was linked to the announcement the same day that ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika would be running for a fourth term of office in the April election . Earlier that day Algerian hydrocarbon...
First transfer of detainees in nearly a year intensifies calls for Obama administration to close camp completely The Obama administration has said it plans to repatriate two inmates to Algeria from the detention center at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, resuming the transfer of detainees from the controversial prison for the first time in nearly a year. The step is the latest taken by the administration...
When John Grisham heard Guantánamo prisoners were requesting his books, he wanted to learn more. What he found out about Nabil Hadjarab detained for 11 years horrified him About two months ago I learned that some of my books had been banned at Guantánamo Bay. Apparently detainees were requesting them, and their lawyers were delivering them to the prison, but they were not being allowed...
s political life since independence. The army high command, led by General Ahmed Gaïd Salah, who is also deputy defence minister, is at loggerheads with the department of intelligence and security (DRS), headed by General Mohamed Mediene , aka "Tewfik". Each day brings allegations and dismissals, fuelling public anxiety. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has finally broken his silence on the subject....
s list does not include journalists who died of illness or were killed in car or plane accidents unless the crash was caused by hostile action. With 161 deaths in total, Iraq has the highest number of journalists killed with a confirmed motive. Another 56 media workers are reported to have died in the country, while the committee is still investigating the deaths of 27 journalists where motives have...
Djamel Ameziane and Belkecem Bensayah, who fled Algeria's 1990s civil war, were repatriated after decade without charge ...