Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has called for the death penalty to be reinstated for arsonists after a wave of forest fires left at least 12 people dead.
He has directed the justice ministry to draft amendments to the criminal code that would introduce capital punishment for arson. While the death penalty still exists in Algeria’s penal code for certain crimes, no execution has taken place since 1993.
Over 100 wildfires have broken out across northeastern Algeria in recent days, with most now brought under control. On Saturday, Tebboune said he was not ruling out the possibility of deliberate sabotage, adding that thorough investigations would be launched given how intense the fires were.
By Sunday, he had set a 15 September deadline for legal amendments that would make death the punishment for anyone found guilty of intentionally setting forest fires. Currently, such acts carry a sentence of up to 30 years — or life imprisonment in more serious cases.
The blazes tore through wide areas of northern Algeria last week, leaving a trail of destruction, injuring dozens, and displacing thousands of residents.
The fires broke out during a severe heatwave gripping North Africa, with both Algeria and Tunisia hit hard. As of Sunday afternoon, civil protection teams were still working to contain some outbreaks — authorities reported that 18 of the 19 fires that flared up in the previous 24 hours had already been put out.
Tebboune has also ordered compensation for affected families, along with repairs to damaged homes and infrastructure, and called for a full investigation into the scale of the losses.
Although Algeria typically sees wildfires during the summer season, climate change has made recent outbreaks noticeably more intense and destructive.
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