Algerian president seeks death penalty for arsonists

Algeria’s president has ordered the Justice Ministry to prepare death-penalty provisions for people convicted of deliberately setting fire to forests, following a wave of blazes that killed at least 12 people.

Abdelmadjid Tebboune gave the ministry until Sept. 15 to draft amendments to the criminal code. Arson in wooded areas currently carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, or life imprisonment in particularly serious cases.

More than 100 fires broke out in northeastern Algeria in recent days. Most had been extinguished, although authorities said on Aug. 30 that firefighters were still battling some blazes. They also reported that 18 of 19 fires that started during the previous 24 hours had been put out.

Tebboune said on Aug. 29 that he could not rule out the involvement of third parties and promised an investigation, citing the intensity of the fires. The blazes affected dozens of people and forced thousands to leave their homes during a heat wave across North Africa, with Algeria and Tunisia particularly affected.

The president also ordered compensation for families harmed by the fires, repairs to damaged homes and the restoration of basic public services. Algeria regularly faces forest fires during the summer, while climate change has increased their frequency and intensity, according to the BBC.