More than 100 people were injured in clashes in the
Algerian capital that resulted from mass protests against ailing
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term in office,
medical sources said on Saturday.
Some were wounded by stones and rubber bullets while others suffered
from suffocation as a result of tear gas fired by security forces on
Friday, the sources at Mustapha Pacha hospital in Algiers said.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Algiers
for the third Friday running to demonstrate against Bouteflika's
re-election bid. Large protests were held in the provinces of Batna,
Bouira, Skikda and M'Sila, local media reported.
Some 195 people were detained on Friday by security forces, according
to the Directorate of the National Security, which added that 112
police officers had been injured during the protests.
Since suffering a stroke in 2013, Bouteflika has been rarely seen in
public. The wheelchair-bound president travelled to Switzerland on
February 24 for medical check-ups.
People clash with anti-riot police during the protest against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in Algiers, Algeria. Reuters
