Algeria President Wants Death Penalty for Arsonists After Deadly Fires Kill 12
Last update: August 31, 2026
Disclaimer: This website may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase. We only recommend products or services that we personally use and believe will add value to our readers. Your support is appreciated!
Should starting a forest fire cost you your life? Algeria President Abdelmadjid Tebboune thinks so after wildfires tore through the northeast and left at least 12 people dead.
This is a dramatic turn, as reported by cbinews.tv.
President Tebboune has ordered the justice ministry to amend the criminal law to introduce capital punishment for anyone convicted of deliberately starting fires in forested areas. He gave a deadline of 15 September for the amendments to be ready.
Under current Algerian law, intentional forest arson can attract up to 30 years in prison, or life imprisonment in the most serious cases. Tebboune now wants that raised to the ultimate penalty.
Capital punishment is still in Algeria's penal code for offences like treason and terrorism, but the country has not executed since 1993. That is more than 30 years of de facto moratorium, in line with many African and European states.
More than 100 wildfires were recorded in recent days across the north east; most have now been extinguished, but not before causing huge damage. Dozens were injured, thousands displaced, homes and essential services destroyed. The fires erupted during an intense heatwave across North Africa, with Algeria and Tunisia worst hit.
On Saturday, Tebboune said he did not rule out foul play given the sheer intensity and number of fires breaking out at once. He ordered full investigations into the cause and scale of losses, plus compensation for affected families and repairs to homes.
Civil protection teams were still battling some blazes on Sunday afternoon, with the Algerian Press Service noting that 18 out of 19 fires that broke out in the previous 24 hours had been put out.
Algeria experiences forest fires almost every summer, but climate data shows a sharp rise in severity. The Mediterranean basin, including Algeria's Kabylia region, has warmed by about 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, making vegetation drier and fire seasons longer. In 2021, similar blazes killed at least 65 people in Kabylia alone.
Tebboune's move will spark serious debate between those who want tough deterrence and rights groups who oppose reinstating executions after a three-decade pause.
#Algeria #Tebboune #AlgeriaFires #ForestFires #DeathPenalty #ClimateCrisis #NorthAfrica #Wildfires #Kabylia #CBINewsTV
