40 Algerian police wounded by anti-shale gas protestors

Forty police officers were wounded in clashes with demonstrators opposed to shale gas exploration in the Algerian Sahara, the Interior Ministry announced. “The town of In-Salah saw incidents involving public order, initiated by a group of young people protesting against shale gas operations in the region,” the ministry said in a statement. It said the clashes “caused injuries to 40 police officers, including two who were seriously injured.”

The town of In-Salah saw incidents involving public order, initiated by a group of young people protesting against shale gas operations in the region.

Algeria’s Interior Ministry

Anti-shale gas demonstrations have increased in the cities of the Algerian Sahara since December, when Algerian oil company Sonatrach announced it had successfully completed its first pilot drilling in the In-Salah region. Sonatrach announced in February that its exploratory drilling for shale gas using hydraulic fracturing would continue despite mounting hostility among people living nearby. Algeria has seen massive investment in shale gas to compensate for declining oil revenues, but faces opposition from people living near the fields, concerned about the impact on the environment. According to international studies, Algeria has the fourth biggest recoverable reserves of shale gas globally, after the United States, China and Argentina.

World Algeria