ALGIERS, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Army Chief of Staff and Deputy Defense Minister Ahmed Gaid Salah on Tuesday urged Algerians to safeguard the country's stability and security amid the wave of popular protests.
According to a statement of Defense Ministry, Gaid Salah made the pledge while paying a working visit to the Military Academy of Cherchell, 55 km western Algiers.
He also said "the National People's Army will remain the guarantor of safeguarding the security and stability of Algeria."
This speech came in reaction to a wide spread protest movement hitting the North African nation in recent weeks to call on incumbent president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to give up his decision to seek a fifth term.
On Feb. 10, Bouteflika announced that he would run in the forthcoming presidential election, due on April 18.
Bouteflika, 81-year-old, suffered a stroke in 2013, and he was re-elected in 2014 for a fourth term until 2019.
