(CNN) -- At least two people have been killed and 300 others injured in riots that erupted across Algeria amid rising food prices and a housing crisis, state-run media said Saturday.
The protests began earlier in the week over spiraling costs of basic food items, including milk, oil and sugar. Some staples are subsidized by the government.
Trade Minister Mustapha Benbada said food prices were on the agenda for a Saturday meeting between lawmakers, state-run Algerie Press Service reported.
"I think we are beginning to contain this crisis and we want to find a solution early next week," Benbada said in a statement.
Similar protests, some violent, have erupted in neighboring Tunisia, where at least four people have died. Human rights groups have said the Tunisian government has cracked down on demonstrators with force.
Reporters Without Borders condemned the arrests and disappearances of bloggers and online activists across a number of Tunisian cities. CNN
