ALGIERS, Algeria –Rioting youths have set buildings ablaze and hurled stones at police in Algeria amid anger at recent price increase and chronic unemployment.
Security officers filled the tense working class Algiers neighborhood of Bab el-Oued on Thursday after the riots Wednesday night. A police station and a mobile telephone store were among buildings set on fire before police intervened to stop the violence.
The violence came after hikes in prices for milk, sugar and flour in recent days, and amid simmering frustration that Algeria's gas and oil resources have not translated into broader prosperity. Algerians have also been watching neighboring Tunisia, which is usually calm but has seen violent protests in recent weeks over unemployment, leading to three deaths.
