This archive report was first published on 24 December 2019.
On December 23, 2019, Algeria's powerful military chief of staff, Ahmed Gaid Salah, died of a heart attack at the age of 79. The news came as a shock to the nation, and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called for three days of mourning.
However, the protests continued, with students and other demonstrators taking to the streets as they have every week since February, when the protests broke out in the North African country against the political system in place since Algeria's independence from France in 1962.
The protests have been ongoing despite the resignation of longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April, following mass demonstrations sparked by his bid for a fifth term. Gaid Salah was seen as Algeria's de facto strongman, and his funeral will be held on Wednesday, with his body to be interred at the Al-Alia cemetery in western Algiers, the final resting place of other presidents and senior Algerian figures.
Despite the mourning period, protesters maintained their resolve, with some even considering it 'shameful' to protest during this time. However, many students and protesters felt that the death of Gaid Salah changed nothing for the movement, and that the protests would continue until their demands for deep-rooted political reforms were met.
As one protester, biology student Kahina, 22, stated, 'We are not against one person, but against a system.' The protests have continued since the election of Tebboune, with protesters rejecting his invitation for dialogue and his vow to appoint young ministers and push for a new constitution.
