Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has called for the death penalty to be introduced for anyone convicted of deliberately starting forest fires, following a deadly wave of wildfires that has killed at least 12 people in the country’s northeast.
Tebboune instructed Justice Minister Lotfi Boudjemaa to submit proposed amendments to Algeria’s penal code by September 15 that would allow courts to impose capital punishment on those found guilty of intentionally setting fire to forested areas.
Algerian law already provides for the death penalty for several serious offences, although the country has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1993.
Under existing legislation, deliberately starting a forest fire can result in sentences of up to 30 years in prison, with life imprisonment possible in certain circumstances.
The president also ordered provincial governors to provide security authorities with all available information surrounding the latest fires amid suspicions that some may have been deliberately started.
Tebboune pointed to footage showing several fires apparently breaking out at roughly the same time in the early hours of the morning.
“We saw videos and noticed that a number of fires broke out at the same time, at around 1am, which raises many questions,” he said.
Algeria recently observed three days of national mourning after 12 people were killed in fires across the provinces of Jijel, Bejaia and Tizi Ouzou. At least 54 others were injured.
Authorities have also been instructed to compensate families affected by the fires and establish committees to assess damage to homes, businesses and other property.
Tebboune ordered officials to restore electricity, gas, water and telecommunications services in affected areas by Saturday at the latest, while housing authorities have been tasked with repairing damaged homes.
The president said normal life should return to the affected regions within a week.
The fires form part of a major outbreak across Algeria, with dozens of blazes continuing to burn and nearly 200 fires recorded nationwide within a 24-hour period.
