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| Africa North |
| Algeria to end 19-year state of emergency |
| 2011-02-23 |
| ALGIERS - Algeria’s cabinet on Tuesday adopted an order to lift a 19-year-old state of emergency in a concession designed to dodge the tide of uprisings sweeping the region. The government also approved a package of measures aimed at reducing unemployment, which is one of the biggest grievances of ordinary people in Algeria. “The lifting of the state of emergency is still positive but it’s not enough,” said Mustafa Bouchachi, chairman of the Algerian Human Rights League and one of the organisers of the protests. “We need a real opening up for political, media and social activities so that the people can experience democracy for themselves." The emergency powers will not be lifted until the order adopted by the cabinet is published in the official gazette, which is likely to happen in the next few days. “The state of emergency was implemented for the sole needs of the anti-terrorist fight,” Algeria’s official APS news agency quoted Bouteflika as saying at the cabinet meeting. Tuesday’s decision will have few practical implications: new rules were also adopted which will allow the military to continue involving itself in domestic security, as it had done under the emergency powers. |
| Posted by:Steve White |