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Former Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika dies at 84
- He was ousted in 2019 amid pro-democracy protests after 20 years in power
- Bouteflika, who became foreign minister at 25, stood up to the likes of Henry Kissinger in the height of the Cold War
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Former Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who fought for independence from France in the 1950s and 1960s and was ousted amid pro-democracy protests in 2019 after 20 years in power, has died at age 84, state television announced on Friday.
The report on ENTV, citing a statement from the office of current President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, did not provide the cause of death or information about funeral arrangements.
Bouteflika had suffered a stroke in 2013 that badly weakened him. Concerns about his state of health, kept secret from the Algerian public, helped feed public frustration with his rule that erupted in mass public protests in 2019 that led to his departure.
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Earlier in his life, Bouteflika fought for independence from colonial ruler France, successfully negotiated with the terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal to free oil ministers taken hostage in a 1975 attack on Opec headquarters, and helped reconcile Algerian citizens with each other after a decade of civil war between radical Muslim militants and Algeria’s security forces.
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Bouteflika had been known as a wily survivor ever since he fought for independence from France.
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