Violent protests for the fifth day in Albania demanding the government's resignation

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On Saturday, the Albanian capital, Tirana, witnessed clashes for the fifth day in a row, while demonstrators demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who pledged to listen to their criticism.

Hundreds of people, some of them masked, gathered around noon in front of the Ministry of Education, before the protests later spread throughout the city.

The demonstrators threw stones at the police and set fire to waste containers, using them as barricades to prevent police officers from advancing.

After the police called on those gathered via loudspeakers to refrain from violence, they used water cannons and tear gas to temporarily disperse the crowds.

Tirana has been witnessing violent demonstrations since Tuesday, during which thousands of protesters are demanding Rama's resignation in protest against the conditions in universities and the rise in tuition fees.

At the beginning of the protest, demonstrators set fire to a suitcase and threw it in the courtyard of the Ministry of Education, in a symbolic step to express their refusal to leave Albania.

Sinan Bella, a journalism student, said the protest was a "reaction to express dissatisfaction with the silence of our government."

He told AFP, "We are not asking for privileges, but for our rights, our future, and a better country."

During his inspection of local commercial establishments damaged by the demonstrations, Rama said that he respects the students, adding that "their right to demonstrate must and will be protected."

He added, "Their voices, the voices of young people and every citizen who participated in today's protests, must and will be heard with respect."

But he realized that "no one will be allowed to jeopardize the future of this country."

Local media reported that other protests broke out in the coastal city of Durres, where demonstrators smashed the windows of the post office and blocked roads with burning obstacles.

On Friday evening, police used tear gas and water cannons, while demonstrators threw stones at security forces and burned waste containers to block roads across the city. The clashes continued until the night hours in several areas of the city.

The police announced the arrest of ten people following Friday's demonstrations, and the initiation of criminal proceedings against 22 others.

The Ministry of Health reported that 25 people were slightly injured, including nine police officers, during clashes in Tirana, Vlora and Lija on Friday.

The escalation of unrest this week comes after months of anti-government protests in the Balkan country, which initially erupted against the backdrop of a controversial project to develop a resort linked to the family of US President Donald Trump.