Algerians battle deadly wildfires as Tebboune seeks death penalty for arson

Algerian firefighters are grappling with a series of devastating and deadly wildfires that have led President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to call for the re-establishment of the death penalty for arsonists. The infernos have engulfed multiple provinces, resulting in a massive fire front that stretches from central to eastern Algeria. Civil Protection teams, backed by army units, are still combating flare-ups in the provinces of Sétif and Guelma, where extensive forest areas have been ravaged.

Jijel, a coastal province renowned for its sandy beaches, turquoise waters, and groves of olive trees, fruit trees, and cedars, has borne the brunt of the destruction. Over 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of forest have turned into smoldering ashes and stumps following the blaze. The official death toll in Jijel is currently 12, according to the Interior Ministry's initial statements at the end of August.

However, the reality may be far graver, with social media videos depicting dozens of coffins lined up alongside mass graves, awaiting burial before the bodies decay in the heat. Lt. Djabri Said, a Civil Protection veteran with four decades of experience, expressed his shock, stating that the scale of the disaster is unprecedented, with hundreds of fatalities.

Journalist Abdelwahab Boukrouh, from the Presidency’s Communications Directorate, posted on his Facebook page that his family from the mountain village of Ouled Riyah lost 12 members during the night of August 22-23, with three others still missing, including women, children, and the elderly who were caught off guard by the flames in their humble homes.

The livestock, comprising cattle, sheep, goats, mules, and donkeys, were unable to escape the flames, their charred remains scattered along the steep paths leading to the villages. The once-vibrant villages have been reduced to smoldering ashes, a stark reminder of the human, environmental, and material catastrophe that the wildfires have wrought.