Riots break out across Algeria

Clashes have broken out between protesters and security forces in the Algerian capital and other towns over soaring prices and unemployment.

In the capital Algiers, police fired tear gas and water cannons at young people hurling stones and glass bottles at security forces.

On Friday, the official APS news agency said protesters ransacked government buildings, banks, and post offices in several eastern cities on Thursday night, such as Constantine, Jijel, Setif, and Bouira, The Guardian reported.

In Ras el Oued, buildings belonging to the state-run gas utility Sonelgaz, the council, and the tax authority, in addition to several schools, were seriously damaged, APS reported.

Government ministers called for calm.

Earlier in the day, the football federation cancelled all this weekend’s matches.

The unrest broke out after days of protests against a spike in food prices and a housing shortage.

The prices of flour, cooking oil, and sugar have doubled over the past few months.

Trade Minister Mustapha Benbada said government officials would meet on Saturday to find ways to limit the cost of basic food items.

The official unemployment rate stands at about 10 percent, although independent organizations say it is actually closer to 25 percent.

The riots in Algeria occurred after a period of rare unrest in neighboring Tunisia.