Bouteflika back in Algeria after medical visit to Geneva

Algiers - Algeria's state news agency says President Abdelaziz Bouteflika returned to his country on Friday after a five-day visit to Geneva for what his office described as a "periodic medical check-up."

No further detail was offered about the nature of the president's visit or his current condition.

Bouteflika left for Geneva five days ago, a trip that heightened concern over the 79-year-old's health. Bouteflika suffered a stroke in 2013 and only rarely appears on television; rumours about the leader's condition intensified after a photo was posted on French Prime Minister Manuel Valls' Twitter account on April 10 in which Bouteflika appeared gaunt and weakened.

Bouteflika took office in 1999 and has been re-elected three times, with the constitution modified to do away with a limit on presidential mandates.