Algeria’s wildfires show a state unprepared for climate chaos

A relentless series of fast-moving wildfires tore through northern Algeria last week, leaving many people dead, dozens injured, thousands displaced, and laying waste to vast tracts of forest and farmland.

The catastrophic blazes erupted amid an intense, persistent heatwave gripping the Maghreb region, pushing temperatures to dangerous extremes and creating prime conditions for rapid fire spread.

Between 26 and 30 August, the fires tore through several mountainous and coastal provinces, with the heaviest destruction concentrated in Jijel, Tizi-Ouzou, and the coastal region of Béjaïa.

Authorities recorded nearly 2,000 fires nationwide in July this year. The scale of the recent devastation echoes July 2023, when wildfires around Béjaïa killed more than 30 people and destroyed thousands of hectares of land, along with hundreds of homes.

Civil Protection teams, backed by army units, are continuing to battle 154 wildfires in the eastern provinces this week, with vast areas of forest scorched.

Fanned by powerful winds, the fast-moving wildfire advanced rapidly toward residential neighbourhoods, forcing dozens of families to evacuate and triggering a total shutdown of roads in the hard-hit areas.

The Interior Ministry initially reported 12 deaths in Jijel in one of its first statements at the start of the crisis in late August, when the government declared three days of national mourning.

No faith in the facts

And in a pure Stalinist tradition, private and public media outlets, operating under strict state control, have continued to report only a dozen deaths while highlighting the presence of government ministers on the ground, as well as the efforts of state institutions to help the victims.

However, the death toll is believed to be higher.

The Associated Press, for example, reported that twelve members of the same family were killed, and three others remain missing in the mountain village of Ouled Riyah. Lieutenant Djabri Said told AP: “I have worked in Civil Protection for 40 years. We have dealt with fires, but this is the first time we have faced such a human, environmental, and material catastrophe. There are hundreds of dead.”

Independent news outlets estimate that the wildfires, described as unprecedented in their intensity, have killed more than 200 people.

A municipal database has recorded more than 70 fire victims, offering a rare glimpse of the disaster’s scale amid the absence of an accurate official death toll. Clearly, local registries are filling gaps in government data as recovery efforts continue.

In fact, just last month, when a deadly blaze in an orphanage claimed the lives of 11 people, the authorities spent their time trying to keep the real causes of the tragedy and those responsible under wraps. Ordinary people were left to share the details on social media regarding the horrific event that killed mostly children.

Given the distrust of official information, many are understandably questioning whether the recent fires are due to the state’s failures or to deliberate arson, as authorities have claimed.

Independent journalists and opposition figures are also increasingly pointing fingers at public officials, alleging that institutional negligence and systemic poor planning have worsened the crisis.

Avoiding responsibility

For years, authorities have bypassed investing in an operational, state-owned fleet of Canadair water bombers, relying instead on a patchwork strategy of short-term aircraft leases and appeals for foreign intervention.

Following a diplomatic rift with Spain over the contested Western Sahara region, the decision-makers scrapped an agreement to purchase seven water bombers from a Spanish manufacturer.

It is undeniable that the Maghreb is warming at an accelerated rate of nearly 0.43°C per decade, according to global climate organisations. This rapid temperature spike has left Algeria bearing the brunt of global emissions, compounding the nation's climate vulnerability.

This has served as Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s primary argument and a rhetorical tool to deflect blame from his government’s neglect.

He cited the heatwave sweeping Mediterranean countries, including France, Italy, and Spain, arguing that climate change is contributing to increasingly dry conditions.

Whilst this is certainly true, what is missing from his rhetoric is the fact that a toxic mix of unmapped forestry tracts, archaic management, and bureaucratic silos are also hampering efforts to prevent the worst from happening.

It is obvious that the regime's failure is flagrant.

The wrong priorities

The priorities are also obviously elsewhere. For example, Algeria continues to drive a massive military buildup that is disproportionate to its regional security risks. This is further cemented by its status as the world’s fifth-largest weapons buyer and the top arms importer in Africa.

At the heart of this spending frenzy is the military’s historical central role in the country, and the regime’s survival helps explain the buildup, keeping defence spending a top domestic priority.

This, of course, is at the expense of urgent socioeconomic issues, including rampant public corruption, systemic tax evasion, embezzlement, kickbacks, and a severe youth unemployment crisis, while the country grapples with soaring inflation and inadequate critical infrastructure.

Nevertheless, public scrutiny is mounting regarding the Algerian government’s disaster readiness. Whilst the President has ordered compensation for affected families and the restoration of damaged homes and essential services, there is heavy focus on blaming arsonists and threatening tougher judicial action. Tebboune has gone as far as calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty for those convicted of starting the fires.

Rather than addressing long-term ecological management, the authorities are prioritising aggressive law enforcement measures. However, the government is either underestimating or ignoring the scale of public consciousness, which is calling out the deflection and pointing the finger at the state’s systemic failures in protecting the Algerian people and their land.

Dr Abd-el-Kader Cheref is a US-based Algerian scholar, freelance journalist, and former Fulbright grantee. He holds a PhD from the UK's University of Exeter and serves as an Assistant Professor of Africana and Multicultural Studies at Southern Illinois University. His research and writing focus heavily on African and MENA politics, democratization processes, postcolonial studies, Islam/Islamism, migration, and political violence.

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