The head of Algeria’s most important economic sector is gone. Amid the country’s ongoing ‘revolution’ state-energy firm Sonatrach’s CEO Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour was shown the door on 23 April and replaced by head of production Rachid Hachichi.
Although interim President Abdelkader Bensalah did the deed, army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah is widely seen as the man pulling the strings behind the curtains. After giving long-term President Abdelaziz Bouteflika the push (MEES, 5 April), he has attempted to carve out a sort of ‘guardian of the revolution’ role for himself by going after the ‘system’ that the protestors want to bring down. Never mind that in many ways he is the embodiment of that system. (CONTINUED - 987 WORDS)
