The Political, Environmental and Health Crisis in Algeria

Voices of the Middle East and North Africa

After more than a year of sustained weekly demonstrations, in March 2020 the covid pandemic came to the rescue of a contested government seen as illegitimate by many in Algeria, forcing the popular Hirak movement to suspend its protests throughout the country in the interest of public health and safety. One year and a half later, the north African country is now beset by multiple deep crises, after a series of devastating fires swept across the country a month ago, exacerbating the political and health crises that preceded them. Khalil Bendib speaks with Algerian activist, Hamza Hamouchene in London about the way these multiple catastrophes are affecting the country and how people are coping. Hamza Hamouchene is a London-based Algerian researcher-activist, commentator and a founding member of Algeria Solidarity Campaign (ASC), and Environmental Justice North Africa (EJNA)