Violent clashes between jobless people and police in Ouargula

Two men were wounded on Wednesday in violent clashes between policemen and tens of jobless residents in the province of Ouargula (south of Algeria).

Security forces used tear gas and fired rubber bullets to warn the angry people who seized a bus of the National Gendarmerie.

The protesters blocked the route to bus station while anti-riot police intervened and released the seized bus.

The jobless people told Echorouk they took to the street due to employment problems and senior officials. They called on authorities to open an investigation into wrongdoings believed to be committed by the CEO of an oil company in Hassi Messaoud.

They also said Ouargula’s prefect held a meeting on Tuesday with a number of jobless people. He admitted that some officials do not do their job in the right way. He assigned a special commission to conduct an investigation. Involved officials will be punished.

The prefect called on them to be patient until the end of the investigation.

Echorouk called the prefect’s personal staff chief for more than 8 times on his personal cell phone but he did not answer.