Algerian Authorities Accused of ‘Plotting Coup’ against Opposition Party

Head of the Algerian Workers' Party Louisa Hanoune in Tipaza, Algeria. (AFP file photo)
Head of the Algerian Workers' Party Louisa Hanoune in Tipaza, Algeria. (AFP file photo)
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Algerian Authorities Accused of ‘Plotting Coup’ against Opposition Party

Head of the Algerian Workers' Party Louisa Hanoune in Tipaza, Algeria. (AFP file photo)
Head of the Algerian Workers' Party Louisa Hanoune in Tipaza, Algeria. (AFP file photo)

The opposition Algerian Workers' Party accused former party members of “plotting a coup” against secretary-general Louisa Hanoune, saying they were backed by state authorities.

Former lawmakers and members of the party's central committee, who were expelled by Hanoune for disciplinary reasons, met at a resort west of Algiers to elect a new leader.

They withdrew confidence from Hanoune and chose former leader Mounir Nasri as acting secretary-general, pending the organization of an extraordinary conference to choose new leadership.

Nasri accused Hanoune of several “grave violations”, such as dismissing members, saying the attendees wanted to “correct the path of the party”.

Hanoune ran twice in presidential elections in 2009 and 2014, and spent nine months in prison last year on charges of “conspiring against the army,” but she was acquitted soon after.

Djelloul Djoudi of the Workers' Party told Asharq Al-Awsat that the people who carried out the coup had no organizational ties to the party, adding that the Algiers administrative authorities granted them a license to hold a public meeting.

The license confirms that the Ministry of Interior was involved in the coup, and the judicial report of the meeting's agenda also implicates the Justice Ministry, he added.

“The entire government supports this plot,” said Djoudi.

He stressed that the incident proves that the ruling system has not changed, in contrast to the slogan of a new Algeria, which has been raised since the presidential elections at the end of 2019.

Djoudi explained that the party is paying the price for refusing to participate in the parliamentary elections, scheduled for June 12.

Hanoune had been subject to two failed attempts to oust her by party members in 2015 and 2019.



Germany’s Merz Announces Gaza Aid Airlift, Mulls Upping Ante on Israel

 28 July 2025, Berlin: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at a press conference at the Federal Chancellery, after the Security Cabinet meeting on the conflicts in the Middle East. (dpa)
28 July 2025, Berlin: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at a press conference at the Federal Chancellery, after the Security Cabinet meeting on the conflicts in the Middle East. (dpa)
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Germany’s Merz Announces Gaza Aid Airlift, Mulls Upping Ante on Israel

 28 July 2025, Berlin: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at a press conference at the Federal Chancellery, after the Security Cabinet meeting on the conflicts in the Middle East. (dpa)
28 July 2025, Berlin: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at a press conference at the Federal Chancellery, after the Security Cabinet meeting on the conflicts in the Middle East. (dpa)

Germany will immediately launch an airlift to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza as it considers stepping up pressure on Israel over the "catastrophic" situation in the enclave, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday.

As the death toll from almost two years of war in Gaza nears 60,000, a growing number of people are dying from starvation and malnutrition, Gaza health authorities say, with images of starving children shocking the world and fueling international criticism of Israel over sharply worsening conditions.

Germany, together with the United States, has long remained one of Israel's staunchest allies and largest arms suppliers.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday many people were starving in the enclave, contradicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who denied there was starvation there.

The German security cabinet convened for more than two hours on Monday to discuss the situation, Merz told a news conference in Berlin. While it welcomed Israel's announcement of a halt in military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza as an "important first step", it agreed more must follow.

Asked if the council discussed sanctions like suspending the EU pact governing relations with Israel, a move Germany has in the past rejected, Merz said the council had discussed what options were available.

"We are keeping such steps on the table," he said.

Before making any decisions, however, he would try to speak with Netanyahu later on Monday and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul would travel to the region on Thursday, possibly together with his British and French counterparts. The German government would then reassess the situation over the weekend.

In the meantime, Berlin would do what it could to help alleviate the humanitarian situation, launching an airlift in cooperation with Jordan to deliver aid into Gaza.

"Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will closely coordinate with France and the UK, who are also willing to provide such an airlift for food and medical supplies," he said.

"We know that this can only provide very limited help for the people in Gaza, but it is nonetheless a contribution we are eager to make."

Germany would also prepare for a Gaza reconstruction conference in coordination with regional partners, Britain and France, he said. "No further expulsions from the Gaza Strip must occur."

German officials say their approach to Israel is governed by a special responsibility, known as the Staatsraison, arising from the legacy of the Nazi Holocaust.

They have long believed they can achieve more through diplomatic back channels than public statements. But Merz has come under growing pressure in recent weeks, including from within his own coalition, to take a firmer stance on Israel, and faced broad criticism for failing to join a statement last week by dozens of Western nations condemning the "inhumane killing" of Palestinians.