Algerian firefighters are battling a devastating wave of wildfires that has swept through several provinces, killing people, destroying forests and leaving entire villages badly damaged. The scale of the disaster has also pushed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to call for the reinstatement of the death penalty for people found responsible for deliberately starting fires.
Wildfires Sweep Across Northern Algeria
The fires have created a huge front stretching from central Algeria to the eastern part of the country. Civil Protection teams, backed by army units, continued fighting fires and flare-ups in provinces including Sétif and Guelma. Large areas of forest have already been reduced to ash.
Jijel, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of Algiers, appears to have suffered some of the worst destruction. The province is known for its beaches, turquoise waters, hills and forests filled with olive, fruit and cedar trees. After the fires, large areas were left covered with smoldering remains and charred tree trunks.
The Interior Ministry initially reported 12 deaths in Jijel when the crisis began at the end of August. However, local accounts and videos shared on social media have raised concerns that the true death toll could be much higher.
Lt. Djabri Said, a Civil Protection officer with four decades of experience, described the disaster as unlike anything he had seen before. He said the fires had caused an enormous human, environmental and material tragedy.
Villages Destroyed and Livestock Killed
Reports from affected communities paint a grim picture. Abdelwahab Boukrouh, a journalist with the Presidency’s Communications Directorate, said his family in the mountain village of Ouled Riyah lost 12 relatives during the night of Aug. 22-23. He said three other family members were still missing.
The victims included women, children and elderly people who were caught off guard as the flames reached their homes. Thousands of animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, mules and donkeys, also died after failing to escape the fires.
Many homes in the affected villages have been destroyed. Roads leading into some communities are surrounded by the remains of burned livestock, while residents face the difficult task of rebuilding their lives.
State-controlled public and private media outlets have continued to report the official figure of 12 deaths. Their coverage has also focused heavily on government efforts to provide assistance and send officials to the affected areas.
Tebboune Orders Emergency Response
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune cut short his vacation and visited hospitals in Algiers treating people with severe burns. He also declared three days of national mourning and called a special Council of Ministers meeting.
The government designated the Jijel region a disaster area and promised additional resources for the recovery effort. Authorities also announced compensation for families affected by the fires and pledged to rebuild destroyed homes.
A large public relief effort has also emerged. Trucks carrying food, medicine, drinking water and clothing have headed toward villages hit by the fires. Authorities have made restoring schools a priority so students can return when the new school year begins on Sept. 21.
Death Penalty Call Divides Algeria
Tebboune has rejected claims that the fires resulted from a wider conspiracy. Instead, he has pointed to extreme heat and dry conditions, noting that other Mediterranean countries, including France, Portugal, Spain and Italy, have also faced serious wildfires.
Climate scientists have warned that rising temperatures and prolonged dry conditions can increase the frequency and intensity of wildfires. At the same time, Tebboune said authorities were investigating the possibility that some fires were deliberately started.
The president said those responsible for setting the fires would face severe punishment. He also announced plans to lift Algeria’s long-standing moratorium on the death penalty, which has been in place since 1993.
The proposal has received support from parties aligned with Tebboune’s presidency and from Islamist political groups. However, democratic parties and several human rights organizations have rejected the move. Critics argue that restoring capital punishment would represent a serious step backward for Algeria and could distract from questions about how authorities handled the wildfire crisis.
