Albanian PM blames ‘foreign hands’ for unrest as student protests intensify

Add Al Jazeera on Google Protesters run away from riot police during an anti-government demonstration in central Tirana, Albania, on October 16, 2026 [AFP] By AFP and Reuters Published On 16 Oct 2026 16 Oct 2026 Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has blamed “foreign hands” for the increasingly violent student-led protests that are calling on him to resign. Riot police clashed with protesters outside the education ministry for the fourth day in a row, as thousands of young Albanians marched through the capital, Tirana, on Friday to protest government corruption and poor university conditions.