Rabat, June 19 -- Algeria's military Chief of Staff has issued a veiled warning to the country's protesters and political circles critical of the current regime, calling on them to respect the army and the "democratic institutions" it is supposed to embody.

A statement from the defense ministry quoted General Ahmed Gaid Salah on Tuesday, June 18, as insinuating that protesters "hold grudges and animosity towards the army and its command" and are "undoubtedly enemies of Algeria."

General Salah's warning comes as Algerians continue to ask for radical power shift months after former president Abdel Aziz Bouteflika resigned as he faced unprecedented popular anger after two decades in power.

Protesters, unimpressed by the current interim go...