African Studies Blog - Muzammil Yousuf Palla

An update on the Algerian army chief and the President of Algeria Algeria's Army Chief insists that the millitary will not get mixed up in political procedure after he said that there should be a constitutional process to declare President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to be unfit for office. The army chief is quoted as saying: "“We have never and will never deviate from our constitutional mission" AP states the following in continuation of the story: "The North African nation is trying to find a way out of a major political crisis which has led to massive demonstrations each Friday since Feb. 22 to demand the departure of the 82-year-old president and the system he represents which is widely seen as being corrupt. Bouteflika, in office since 1999, canceled the April 18 presidential election and withdrew his bid for a fifth term, but announced a transition process that opponents fear could keep him in power indefinitely. Bouteflika has rarely been seen in public, and not add

Morocco has stopped involvement in the war in Yemen, as per Moroccan govermnent officials. Speaking anonymously, the officials said that Rabat recalled its ambassador. They were not able to elaborate further as they were not authorized to speak publicly regardign the tensions. Al-Jazeera adds: "In an interview with Al Jazeera last month ( Arabic link ), Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita attributed Rabat's decision to "developments on the ground" in Yemen, "especially in regards to the humanitarian situation"." The article continues that: "When asked why King Mohammed VI did not host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on a recent tour of other Arab countries, Bourita said: "Official visits are prepared in advance, according to protocol. After Bourita's interview, Saudi television channel Al Arabiya aired a documentary on disputed Western Sahara, supporting claims that Morocco invaded it after Spanish colonisers l