Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is taking a hardline stance against those responsible for the catastrophic wildfires currently ravaging the nation.
Following a wave of over 100 fires that have left at least 12 people dead and caused widespread displacement, the president has ordered the justice ministry to amend the criminal code to include the death penalty for arsonists. While capital punishment technically remains in the Algerian penal code, the country has not carried out an execution since 1993.
Tebboune has set a firm deadline of September 15 for the legal amendments to be finalized. The president has explicitly refused to rule out foul play, citing the suspicious intensity of the blazes that swept through the country's northeast during a period of extreme heat.
Under existing statutes, intentional arson is punishable by up to 30 years or life imprisonment, but the administration is clearly signaling that such measures are no longer sufficient to deter those who would destroy the nation's forests and endanger its citizens.
As civil authorities continue to battle the remaining fires, the president has also mandated compensation for affected families and the restoration of essential services, while launching investigations into the origins of the destruction.
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