Thousands of Alegerians protest over unemployment

Thousands of people rallied Saturday morning in southern Algeria to appeal to the government to provide them with more jobs.

Protesters occupied main squares in six provinces in southern oil-rich regions until the mid-day, however, no clashes with the police were reported, Xinhua reported.

Organiser of the demonstration, The National Defence Commission for the Unemployed Rights (CNDDC), said activists were subject to "intimidation and surveillance" by the security services. They also denounced the arrest of activists over charges of disturbing public order.

On March 14, thousands of unemployed youths staged a peaceful sit-in near the Town Hall of Ouargla, 800 km southeast of the capital Algiers.

The youths called on the government to cancel the work experience condition which the multinational energy companies based in southern oil and gas rich regions require from the local job applicants.

A week later, Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal issued guidelines to hiring offices, training centres and employers in the south to facilitate job access to the youth.

Sellal urged oil companies to provide priority to young people from the south in the job market and government institutions to issue interest-free loans for young people wishing to launch their own business.

However, the CNDDC claims that the implementation of the government measures is lagging behind.