Morocco World News
Rabat, September 8, 2012
A pervasive rumor made its way into social media networks on Friday as soon as a Swiss blogger spread the rumor according to which the Algerian President had passed away.
People started sharing the “news” on their walls and wondering if this information was based on true facts or just a rumor.
Immediately, Morocco World News contacted many Algerian who stressed that this was just a “baseless rumor” and that nothing had been mentioned in the Algerian media.
On Saturday, the Algerian government issued a communiqué in which it stressed that the death of the Algerian President was a “malicious and outrageous rumor.”
“These are malicious rumors that do not honor their authors and do not deserve attention, for they are unworthy and despicable,” Amar Belani, the spokesperson of the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quoted by the news outlet “Tout Sur l’Algerie” as saying.
In November 2005, Bouteflika was admitted in a hospital in France. He was reportedly suffering from a gastric ulcer hemorrhage.
In the fall 2010, Wikileaks leaked a cable according to which Bouteflika suffers from stomach cancer.
