Protesters slam military ‘betrayal’

Protesters this weekend thronged Algeria's capital for the first mass rally of Ramadan, pressing their demands for reforms and the departure of key figures from ousted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's regime. Many were draped in Algerian flags as they blocked the roads around the capital's main post office square, the epicentre of the protest movement which was launched in February and led to Bouteflika's fall on 2 April. A report on the News24 site notes that they have vowed to keep up the pressure, particularly on army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah, a former Bouteflika loyalist and key powerbroker. ‘The army is our army and Gaid has betrayed us,’ they shouted. The demonstrators have been pressing for transitional bodies to be set up ahead of any election, arguing that their existing institutions – and leaders – are too tarnished by corruption to guarantee a legitimate vote.