Explosion in vegetable oil and sugar price breaks the camel’s back in Algeria

Food shortages, explosion in vegetables and fruit prices without any justifications and the ban on black markets without creating spaces for informal traders paved the way to a fuelled situation. The increase in vegetable oil price broke the camel's back.

• Indicators show that protests was not a coincidence neither was it the government’s decision to review the price of largely-consumed products. They resulted from many accumulations.

  Protest series against the exclusion of some families from benefiting from decent houses paved the way for the current fuelled situation in Algeria. For instance, families took to the street to claim their right in having a house in the areas of Diar Echams, Bab El Oued, Diar El Baraka and Bach Djerrah in Algiers.

  Those protests were accompanied by the increasing anger over the explosion in vegetables and fruit price. The Algerian agriculture ministry could not justify this increase though it took preventative measures to ensure the stability of the market. The country witnessed shortage of milk which constitutes the main food of simple families.

  The crisis continues while the ministry is still making statements about a new strategy to provide milk without concretising any plan.

  The war launched by municipal departments against black markets was a main reason behind the increasing anger. It was meant to end the propagation of informal activity. Yet, the absence of any other measures to provide jobs to thousands of young people led to accumulations. People took to the street, set fire and destroyed everything they found on their way without making any difference between state-owned and private properties.

  Bakers have talked about a coming crisis for months because of flour shortage and its high price in wholesale markets. The quantity of necessary medicines in pharmacies was not sufficient. Workers continue their protests asking for pay and purchasing power raise. The rate of unemployment in the country is estimated at 12 percent.

  All those accumulations fuelled the situation and pushed people to take to the streets to destroy properties as a means to express their long-lasting situation.