Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Algerians, in unrest that could be exploited by Al Qaida,
have been clamoring for employment in the nation’s huge energy sector.

Thousands of people have been demonstrating for jobs in the crude oil
sector in southern Algeria. On March 14, at least 15,000 people attended
protests in such cities as Laghouat and Ouargla amid the lack of jobs in the oil and natural gas industries.

Protest leaders, many of them part of the National Committee for Defense
of the Rights of the Unemployed, said the demonstrations would continue in April. They demanded training for high-paying administrative posts rather than just working as drivers or security guards.

Algerian Prime Minister Abdul Malek Selal has pledged to establish
training programs for the energy industry as well as employment preference for residents of the south.

In late March, Al Qaida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb, which attacked Algeria’s liquefied natural gas plant, hailed the protests and said they reflected a corrupt regime.

  Abdul Malek Selal, Al Qaida exploits unemployed Algerians demanding energy jobs, Al Qaida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb, Lahouat, Ouargla