Soldiers Fire on Protest in Algiers; 25 Die
Soldiers fired on demonstrators today, killing at least 25 people, witnesses said.
The gunfire occurred in Bab el Oued, a district in western Algiers, as 10,000 people responded to a call by the Islamic fundamentalists for a “peaceful march of protest.”
It was the latest clash in a week of bloody riots against spiraling prices and the economic policies of President Chadli Bendjedid’s government.
A marcher reported seeing the body of a teen-ager wrapped in a sheet and taken away by friends. Others spoke of at least 25 and perhaps 30 dead.
Witnesses spoke of dead and injured being taken away in trucks and ambulances, and it was difficult to establish a clear casualty count from the overlapping accounts. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity.
An Islamic group said more than 250 people have died in weeklong anti-government protests.
The army fired volleys of machine-gun fire into the air today to disperse the march from Belcourt, three miles to the east of Bab el Oued, which violated regulations under the state of emergency declared Thursday.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
