Algerian Parties Demand Release of All Political Prisoners

Algerian protesters, with the Berber flag in the background, chant slogans during anti-government demonstrations in the capital Algiers. AFP file photo
Algerian protesters, with the Berber flag in the background, chant slogans during anti-government demonstrations in the capital Algiers. AFP file photo
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Algerian Parties Demand Release of All Political Prisoners

Algerian protesters, with the Berber flag in the background, chant slogans during anti-government demonstrations in the capital Algiers. AFP file photo
Algerian protesters, with the Berber flag in the background, chant slogans during anti-government demonstrations in the capital Algiers. AFP file photo

Key opposition parties have demanded that the Algerian authorities release “all prisoners of conscience,” denouncing the “ongoing suppression in the wake of the unilateral truce announced by the protest movement.”

The parties were hinting at the arrest of dozens of Hirak protesters since they have suspended their rallies six weeks ago.

In a statement on Sunday marking the 49th anniversary of ‘the Berber Spring’, the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) urged the authorities to “act rationally” in handling the political crisis that erupted after president Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down and the protesters rejected elections end of last year.

The RCD slammed Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune dubbing him as “the civilian face of a military command entrenched in corruption.”

Tebboune can’t suppress young protesters in determining their fate. It’s time to establish a genuine state of law and a democratic state, the statement read.

It reiterated that RCD sticks beside all those striving for dignity and restoring the people’s sovereignty.

The party is led by Mohcine Belabbas, who fiercely opposes the Algerian authorities and the army’s intervention in politics.

The party’s members have had leading roles in the Hirak movement, and many have been arrested for hoisting the Berber flag in protests.

The statement added that celebrating ‘the Berber Spring’ is an opportunity to stress that the “sole positive and peaceful solution for the country is a transitional period that determines mechanisms to guarantee free elections, which result in credible institutions.”

Some political blocs put the “transitional phase” on the table of negotiations when the army insisted on holding presidential elections last year. But the authorities considered their move an attempt to destabilize the country.

The secular RCD warned that a “humanitarian catastrophe is looming on the horizon” over the economic crisis stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

Algeria has long ago lost control over its present and future because of its dependence on oil revenues, the statement added.



Sudan Lashes Out at Kenya's 'Hostile' Support for Rival Govt

Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
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Sudan Lashes Out at Kenya's 'Hostile' Support for Rival Govt

Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)

Sudan's army-aligned administration lashed out Monday at what it called Kenya's "irresponsible and hostile" support for efforts by Khartoum's paramilitary rivals to form a parallel government.

Since April 2023, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, once allies, have been locked in a power struggle that has dragged the country into war.

Late Saturday, the RSF and a coalition of political and armed groups signed in Nairobi a charter that would pave the way for a "peace and unity" government in rebel-held areas, with Kenya's foreign minister later saying the proposed administration would restore "democratic governance" in Sudan.

Sudan's foreign ministry condemned the "dangerous precedent" on Monday, saying that "in a grave threat to regional security and peace, the Kenyan leadership has adopted the parallel government that the genocidal militia and its followers intend to declare in some of the remaining pockets under their control".

The government, it added, would take "the necessary steps to respond to this irresponsible and hostile behavior".

Those steps appeared to be taking shape Monday, with foreign ministry undersecretary Hussein Al-Amin Al-Fadil telling a press conference in Port Sudan that "measures against Kenya are escalating, and there are arrangements for economic measures, including a ban on importing Kenyan products".

He also said Sudan was in the process of withdrawing its ambassador from Nairobi and would file a complaint against Kenya through regional and international channels.

Among the signatories of the charter was a faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which controls parts of the southern states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The United Nations warned that the signing of the charter would "increase the fragmentation" of the war-torn country.

But in a post on X on Sunday, Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi called the charter "a peace agreement", describing the proposed administration as a "a unity government" that would restore "peace, stability, and democratic governance in Sudan".

In its statement, Khartoum accused Nairobi of creating a "false facade for the militia to directly obtain weapons", while "relieving regional sponsors of some embarrassment".

The foreign ministry said that this "would expand the scope of war and prolong its duration" and warned of potential damage to bilateral ties with Kenya.

Fadil said Monday that Kenyan President William Ruto "has known personal interests with the militia leader and its sponsors, and is betting on losing cards".

Saturday's signing of the charter comes as the army and its allied factions are making advances against the RSF in the capital Khartoum and in central Sudan.

The war in Sudan, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives, erupted after a rift emerged between Burhan and Daglo over the future structure of the government.

The war has triggered the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.

Both warring sides face accusations of committing grave atrocities against civilians, with their leaders sanctioned by the US.