Algeria's Civil Protection authorities announce that all fires have been put out
In the last 48 hours, violent forest fires have hit several wilayas in north-east Algeria. The death toll remains at 34, while thousands of hectares have been ravaged by the flames.
As of Tuesday afternoon, around ten fires were still active in the forests of north-east Algeria. However, the Algerian Civil Protection services announced on the night of 25 to 26 July that all the fires had been extinguished. Algerian television reported the news, stating that all the forest fires had been brought under control.
The Ministry of the Interior, Local Authorities and Town Planning said in a statement that “Civil protection has managed to extinguish most of the fires to 80 %, after having mobilised without interruption throughout last night, reinforcing field operations by land with human resources and equipment, and the capacity for collaboration between States”.
“An AFP team was able to monitor the extensive damage and follow the intervention of helicopters and water bombers. In Toga, in the north-east of the country, where sixteen people died, the fire was almost completely contained, although some fires continued to burn”, reported the Al Ain media.
Every year, Algeria witnesses a large number of fires in its forests and on its farmland. This phenomenon has become even more acute in recent years as a result of the extreme heat induced by climate change. The heatwave, which dries out vegetation, and strong winds make green spaces more vulnerable to fire.
The country has already experienced violent fires, such as those in August 2022, which made 37 victims in the province of El Tarf, in north-eastern Algeria. However, it was in the summer of 2021 that the Algerian state recorded the highest number of fire-related deaths for several decades, when more than 90 people perished in the fires that devastated the Kabylia region.
According to the Al Ain newspaper, the authorities reported that more than 8,000 civil protection personnel and 525 trucks of various sizes were involved in fighting the fire. Back in May 2023, the Algerian government launched a call for tenders for the acquisition of six medium-sized water bomber aircraft to fight forest fires, in order to bolster the country's fleet of aircraft and helicopters. President Tebboune has also issued a call for tenders to start-ups to supply surveillance drones for the forest canopy.
Russia was also due to deliver four water bombers to Algiers, but delivery was delayed due to the war in Ukraine. According to Algérie 360, Colonel Farouk Achour, Director of Information and Statistics at the Civil Protection, said that Algeria had indeed mobilised water bomber aircraft to fight forest fires, including the Russian-Algerian Beriev Be-200 acquired this year.
The authorities therefore have a duty to repair the damage, not only by compensating the victims but also by investigating the potential criminals involved in starting and spreading the fires. The Algerian judiciary has opened several investigations to determine the cause of the fires and identify possible perpetrators. The Anadolu Agency reports that two suspects have been arrested by the Bouïra court, three others by the Skikda court and fourteen in Béjaïa.
Will Algeria once again accuse Morocco of starting the fires?
In the summer of 2021, Algeria, whose relations with Morocco were already strained over several issues, accused Rabat and Israel of being behind the fires that ravaged the country. These accusations were followed by a diplomatic rupture, announced on 24 August 2021 by the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ramtane Lamamra. He perceived the rapprochement with Israel and the Moroccan position on the Western Sahara as “hostile acts”.
En cette douloureuse circonstance, le Royaume du Maroc présente ses sincères condoléances suite aux pertes en vies humaines causées par ces feux de forêt, ainsi que ses sincères vœux de prompt rétablissement aux blessés.
— Maroc Diplomatie 🇲🇦 (@MarocDiplomatie) July 25, 2023
For the moment, no accusations have been made, as may have been the case in 2021. In addition, on Tuesday, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered its condolences to Algeria “following the loss of human life caused by these forest fires, as well as its sincere wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured”.
