Riots erupt in drought-stricken Central Algeria over water shortages

Riots erupted in Algerian desert city last weekend after months of water shortages left taps running dry and forced residents to queue to access water for their households.

In Tiaret, a central Algerian city of less than 200,000 located 155 miles (250 kilometers) southwest of Algiers protestors wearing balaclavas set tires aflame and set up make-shift barricades blocking roads to protest their water being rationed, according to pictures and videos circulating on social media.

The unrest followed demands from President bdelmajid Tebboune to rectify the suffering. At a council of ministers meeting last week, he implored his cabinet to implement “emergency measures” in Tiaret. Several…