Algeria Latest: At Least 3 Dead in Friday's Protests
Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 11:43
1755 GMT: Protests took place today in the Kabylie region east of Algiers on Saturday, including in the cities of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia.
The Government continues to combine denunciation and reassurance. Abdelaziz Belkhadem, a representative of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, condemned protesters. He said oil revenues were improving living standards for Algeria's 35 million people, but improvements would take time as there had been no investment during fighting between the government and Islamist groups in the 1990s.
Minister of Trade Mustapha Benbada said urgent measures would be taken and promised, "From the start of next week, the situation will get better." Possible measures included fixed profit margins on goods such as cooking oil and sugar.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in his third term, has not made any public comment on the protests.
1410 GMT: Minister of Interior Daho Ould Kablia has issued his first statement on this week's protests.