Algeria has declared three days of national mourning after the death toll from a wave of wildfires in the country’s northeast rose to 12, with dozens of others injured.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced the mourning period on Thursday in honour of those who lost their lives in the fires.
Firefighters and emergency crews continued battling blazes across mountainous areas of northeastern Jijel, one of the regions hardest hit by the latest outbreak.
Algeria’s Civil Protection agency said more than 190 fires had been recorded across the country in the previous 24 hours, with 46 still burning as of Thursday.
The authorities have mobilised emergency teams to contain the fires and prevent them from spreading to more communities and populated areas.
Wildfires are a recurring threat in northern Algeria during the summer months, but rising temperatures and prolonged droughts linked to climate change are increasing the frequency and intensity of such disasters.
The latest fires have renewed concerns over Algeria’s preparedness for increasingly severe summer heat and wildfire seasons.
In July 2023, more than 30 people were killed when wildfires swept through thousands of hectares of forests and farmland around Bejaia, destroying hundreds of homes.
Nearly 2,000 wildfires were recorded across Algeria in July this year, highlighting the growing scale of the country’s annual wildfire crisis.
