Magharebia

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Thursday (November 17th) fired the head of state-run energy company Sonatrach. Ousted CEO Nouredine Cherouati was replaced by Abdelhamid Zerguine, APS reported. In his first public interview since the shake-up, Zerguine noted that internal controls had improved and that the company was going through a significant evolution in its internal organisation and surveillance mechanisms.

Sonatrach will start drilling in Mali in the first half of 2012 and plans to resume operations in Libya once the security situation settles, El Watan quoted the ousted CEO as saying earlier Thursday.