Algerian protests

We note the current unrest in Algeria close to the town of Salah where the population are protesting against the planned fracking activity just a few kilometres away. Residents are concerned about the risk to health and likely contamination of water sources on the edge of the Sahara. Heavy-handed policing and the isolation of the community by cutting off internet and mobile access are all signs of a desperate regime. Many police have been injured, some seriously as have members of the government's opposition. With oil exports seriously dented by the recent dramatic fall in prices the moves smack of panic. Ed.