Authorities in Algiers dispersed the would-be demonstrators without incident Wednesday — as street protests in Egypt aimed to topple longtime President Hosni Mubarak entered a 16th day.

An Algerian opposition group has called a demonstration Saturday to demand an end to a state of emergency that has been in place for almost 20 years and bans protests in Algiers. Authorities say they plan to lift the ban.

Weeks of protest in neighboring Tunisia that brought down its longtime president last month have fanned demonstrations against autocratic leaders across the Arab world.