Image by Getty Research Institute via Flickr

with youths setting government buildings on fire and shouting “Bring us sugar!” Police helicopters circled overhead, and stores closed early. Security officers blocked off streets in the tense working-class neighborhood of Bab el Oued, near the capital’s ancient Casbah, and areas outside the city were swept up in the rampages. The violence followed price increases for milk, sugar and flour in recent days, and amid simmering frustration that Algeria’s abundant gas and oil resources had not led to broader prosperity.