Algeria Wildfires: Tebboune Seeks Death Penalty for Arson as Toll Mounts

Algerian authorities are grappling with a catastrophic wildfire season that has swept across multiple provinces, from the center of the country to its far east. Civil Protection units, reinforced by army squadrons, continue to fight flare-ups in Sétif and Guelma, where vast forested areas have been reduced to ash.

The coastal province of Jijel, located roughly 200 kilometers east of Algiers, has borne the brunt of the destruction. Known for its beaches, olive groves, and cedar forests, the region has seen an estimated 1,200 square kilometers of woodland consumed by flames. While the Interior Ministry initially confirmed 12 deaths in Jijel, social media footage depicting rows of coffins near mass graves suggests the actual toll may be considerably higher.

Lt. Djabri Said, a 40-year veteran of Civil Protection, described the event as an unprecedented catastrophe. "We have dealt with fires, but this is the first time we have faced such a human, environmental, and material catastrophe. There are hundreds of dead," he said. In one village, a journalist with the Presidency's Communications Directorate reported losing 12 family members overnight, with three more missing.

Beyond the human cost, the fires have devastated local livelihoods. Thousands of livestock have perished, their carcasses littering mountain paths, while homes have been reduced to smoldering rubble. State-controlled media have largely adhered to the official death figure, focusing instead on ministerial visits and government relief efforts.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune cut short his vacation to visit burn victims in Algiers hospitals. He has declared three days of national mourning, designated Jijel a disaster area, and pledged state compensation and home reconstruction. Authorities are prioritizing the restoration of schools ahead of the September 21 term start.

A massive grassroots solidarity campaign has emerged, with convoys of food, water, medicine, and clothing heading to affected villages. Tebboune has dismissed conspiracy theories, attributing the fires to climate change and noting similar blazes across the Mediterranean this summer. However, he also cited "criminal hands" and announced investigations, vowing that those responsible "will be sentenced to death."

To that end, Tebboune has proposed lifting the moratorium on capital punishment, in effect since 1993. The move has drawn support from pro-presidency and Islamist parties but fierce opposition from democratic movement parties and human rights groups, who call it a regression and an attempt to deflect blame from governance failures.