Algeria’s Tebboune Makes 1st Appearance Since Hospitalization

An image grab taken from a video published on the personal twitter account of Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on December 13, 2020 shows him delivering a speech to a camera next to an Algerian flag. (Photo by - / AFP)
An image grab taken from a video published on the personal twitter account of Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on December 13, 2020 shows him delivering a speech to a camera next to an Algerian flag. (Photo by - / AFP)
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Algeria’s Tebboune Makes 1st Appearance Since Hospitalization

An image grab taken from a video published on the personal twitter account of Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on December 13, 2020 shows him delivering a speech to a camera next to an Algerian flag. (Photo by - / AFP)
An image grab taken from a video published on the personal twitter account of Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on December 13, 2020 shows him delivering a speech to a camera next to an Algerian flag. (Photo by - / AFP)

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Sunday made his first appearance since he was flown to a hospital in Germany 47 days ago after testing positive for the coronavirus, saying he will be back home soon.

Tebboune, 75, who appeared in a video on Twitter and a broadcast on state television, said he is expected to make a complete recovery within three weeks at the latest.

"I'm recovering...I will recover my physical capacities in a week, two weeks or three weeks," he said. "We will soon be in the country to continue building a new Algeria.”

The president’s office issued a statement on Nov. 30 saying Tebboune had left a “specialized” medical facility, was continuing his convalescence and should be returning home “in the coming days.”

The absence of the head of state, who also serves as defense chief, recalled the long absences of his predecessor, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, for treatment in France of a stroke in 2013 and later in Switzerland for numerous medical check-ups, with lots of speculation and little information on his whereabouts or health.

Bouteflika rarely appeared in public but kept ruling. He was forced to abandon his bid for a fifth term last year before being pushed from office under pressure from street protests and the powerful army.

Tebboune left for Germany Oct. 28.

Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad has been in charge during Tebboune’s absence.



Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
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Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters

Over two million Syrians who had fled their homes during their country's war have returned since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said Thursday, ahead of a visit to Syria.

The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 with Assad's brutal repression of anti-government protests, displaced half of the population internally or abroad.

But Assad's December 8 ouster at the hands of Islamist forces sparked hopes of return.

"Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December," Grandi wrote on X during a visit to neighboring Lebanon, which hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, according to official estimates, AFP reported.

It is "a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions," he said.

"This proves that we need political solutions -- not another wave of instability and displacement."

After 14 years of war, many returnees face the reality of finding their homes and property badly damaged or destroyed.

But with the recent lifting of Western sanctions on Syria, new authorities hope for international support to launch reconstruction, which the UN estimates could cost more than $400 billion.

Earlier this month, UNHCR estimated that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million internally displaced persons may return by the end of 2025.