Why Algeria’s rotten regime has been lucky
When energy prices fall again, it will wobble
Two words in the local lexicon encapsulate Algeria’s malaise: hogra and haraga. The first encompasses a range of gloomy feelings that affect Algerians: a sense of humiliation and oppression, a denial of dignity. This leads to the second increasingly common word, literally meaning “those who burn”. It is applied to the growing number of Algerians wanting to emigrate illegally to get a better life abroad, involving the burning of identity papers. So far this year some 13,000 have reached Spain in rickety boats.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A rotten regime saved, for now, by gas”
From the November 19th 2022 edition
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