One man was killed after protests in Tipaza province, while another died in Ain El Hdjel in Msila province, according to the el-Akhbar newspaper.

Four hundred people were also injured in unrest across the country, Interior Minister Daho Ould Kabila was quoted by the official APS news agency as saying.

The government is holding an emergency meeting to consider its response.

On Friday, the Algerian Football Federation cancelled all the weekend's league matches to stop them serving as a catalyst for further protests.