Algerian Minister of Culture Mariam Merdassi resigned on Saturday, two days after a stampede at the entrance of Algerian rapper Soulking killed five people, the police chief was sacked without giving reasons.
Algerian state television broadcast a statement issued by the presidency, which reads: "Today, Mariam Merdassi presented to President Abdelkader Bensalah her resignation as Minister of Culture, who accepted her."
Prime Minister Noureddine Badawi on Friday sacked Sami bin Sheikh al-Hussein, director-general of the National Copyright Office, a public body that organized the ceremony.
The stampede took place on Thursday at one of the entrances to the "20 August Stadium" (20 August 1955 Stadium) in the popular district of Mohammed Belouizdad, just before the start of the concert, which was held normally despite the incident.
Five people, aged between 13 and 22, died in the stampede, and prosecutors announced on Friday that "in-depth investigations have been opened with a view to knowing the circumstances and circumstances of this traumatic event, with the identification of responsibilities."
Relatives of the victims and many Algerians have denounced the ceremony at the stadium, one of the country's oldest.
This is the only concert in Algeria to be attended by 29-year-old Algerian rapper Soulking, whose real name is Abdel Raouf Draghi, and has been living in France since 2014.He gained international fame in 2018.
In March, Solking gave a song titled "Freedom" to the unprecedented protest movement in Algeria less than a month after its launch, and protesters frequently chanted the song in their protest movements.
Dismiss the police director
Meanwhile, Algerian interim President Abdelkader Bensalah sacked police chief Abdelkader Bouhdba on Saturday, seven months after being appointed to the post.
State television reported that Ben Saleh issued a decree terminating the duties of Abdelkader Bouhdba as director of national security (police).
The source did not say why Bouhdba, who was appointed to the post in February by former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to succeed Colonel Mustapha Lahbiri, was dismissed.
The appointment of Bouhedba as police chief came days before a popular uprising erupted on February 22 that toppled Bouteflika in early April, demanding the departure of former regime figures.
The new police chief, Khalifa Onisi, previously held several posts, most notably the border police chief.