Algeria: Bouteflika Leaves Paris Hospital for Algeria, Reports

Photo: Sophie Paris/UN
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, left, meets UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (file photo).

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika headed home from France on Tuesday, according to an airport source, after a lengthy stint in a Paris hospital which caused concern back home.

Bouteflika, who reportedly boarded an Algerian presidential jet in a wheelchair at Le Bourget airport near Paris, was admitted to hospital at the end of April after suffering a mini-stroke.

His plane took off around 1130GMT, the source said.

The health of the Algerian leader has been a source of huge concern in the north African country, where little has been divulged about his condition since he flew to Paris in April.

Last month, Algerian authorities released photos and footage of Bouteflika on state media, showing the 76-year-old in the Paris hospital where he was convalescing.

The pictures were published to dispel rumours circulating in both Algiers and Paris about the president's condition deteriorating.

But they failed to convince media in Algeria, with many newspapers commenting about his weak health.

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Algerian President Returns Home After Treatment

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Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has been in a French hospital since suffering a stroke in April, left France to return to Algeria, a source said. Read more »