President Seeks Death Penalty for Arson
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has called for the death penalty to be introduced for arsonists, following a series of wildfires that killed at least 12 people in the country's northeast. The president has given the justice ministry until September 15 to amend the criminal law to provide for capital punishment for anyone convicted of intentionally starting a fire in forested areas, as reported by the BBC and The National.
The proposal would change current legislation, which punishes deliberate arson with up to 30 years in prison, or life imprisonment in certain cases. While the death penalty remains in Algeria's penal code for several offences, no execution has been carried out since 1993.
Speaking at a meeting convened to discuss the wildfires, Tebboune said that a number of people had been arrested following last week's fires. “Whoever thinks that the law will not be applied, let him know that society and justice will take their due from him,” he said, according to state news agency APS.
The president also said he did not rule out foul play, and that necessary investigations would be carried out, especially given the intensity of the fires.
Deadly Wildfires and Their Toll
The wildfires swept through the northeastern provinces of Algeria last week, causing widespread destruction, injuring dozens, and displacing thousands of people. Algeria's civil protection services recorded 154 wildfires across the country on Wednesday, 36 of them in Bejaia province alone, with half brought under control. The BBC reported that more than 100 wildfires had been recorded in recent days in the northeast, with most extinguished.
The fatalities included five people in Jijel province, four in Bejaia, and three in Tizi Ouzou. Interior Minister Said Sayoud said that fifty-four people suffered burn injuries, including six in critical condition currently in intensive care.
Tebboune declared three days of national mourning. He questioned the simultaneous nature of the fires, saying, “It is not normal for fires to break out at the same time, like the one that broke out at one o'clock in the morning and spread quickly without any wind,” according to APS.
Civil authorities were still battling some of the fires on Sunday afternoon, with 18 out of 19 fires that broke out in the previous 24 hours extinguished, the Algerian Press Service reported.
Government Response and Compensation
The president ordered that compensation be paid to affected families, as well as repairs to damaged homes and essential services. He said there would be investigations into the extent of the damage and losses caused by the fires.
Work is underway at the Ministry of Finance to calculate compensation for those affected, regardless of the nature of the losses, APS quoted the president as saying. Alternative housing is being provided for those who lost their homes, and new standards will be implemented for building homes in forested areas.
The fires erupted during an intense heatwave in northern Africa, with Algeria and Tunisia particularly affected. While Algeria regularly experiences forest fires around the summer months, climate change has exacerbated the intensity and severity of recent wildfires.