By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Algerian forces scoured the Sahara Desert on Tuesday, searching for five foreign energy workers who vanished during a chaotic four-day battle with hostage-taking Islamist militants.
"For the immediate term, this means that the Algerian hydrocarbons sector will enter a holding pattern for the next month or so, possibly resuming meaningful activity at the beginning of March," he said.
Geoff Porter of North Africa Risk Consulting said the attack had sent shock waves through the foreign oil and gas companies operating in Algeria and put them into a crisis mode.
