25.02.10 Menas Associates
Algeria: National police chief assassinated; does it herald regime change?
In Memoriam: Ali Tounsi
Menas Associates has had an open line to our sources in Algeria for the last
3-4 hours. We can confirm that the National Police Chief, Ali Tounsi, has been
assassinated
- he was apparently shot by a 'close, senior assistant'. Tounsi was a very
close
colleague of the intelligence chief head General Mohamed Mediène (a.k.a.
Toufik)
who heads the all powerful Département du renseignement et de la sécurité (DRS).
As Algeria Politics & Security strongly intimated in last week's issue
President Bouteflika's clan is fighting back against the DRS' recent assault
(i.e.
the Sonatrach affair) against the Presidency.
We are hearing that the Police are now under the control of the Minister of
Interior Zerhouni who is President Bouteflika's 'strong man'. This is likely to
leave the DRS isolated because the Gendarmerie will almost certainly stay loyal
to
the Presidency.
Our latest report, which we received at 13.00 GMT, is that the army is saying
that it will be staying on the sidelines. However, these are only unofficial
calls
to Menas Associates and this may change. We are also hearing that unspecified
units of the army, gendarmerie and police have now surrounded the DGSN building
in
Bab El Oued and that shots are being fired/heard.
Speculation from our informants over the phone is that this could see the
'destruction' of the DRS (at least as we have come to know it).
Ironically, the lead article on a popular Algerian political blog this
morning
was: 'Regime Change?'. Although this was referring to the teachers' strike and
other unrelated unrest, this may now be in process!
We will send subscribers a full analysis, as we have it, in tomorrow's issue
of
Algeria Politics & Security. Non-subscribers are, of course, welcome to
subscribe on a rolling monthly
subscription at any time they may wish.
For more news and expert analysis about Algeria, please see Algeria Focus and Algeria Politics & Security.
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