Overview
- An exceptional late‑August heatwave helped fuel a wave of wildfires in northeastern Algeria that officials say killed 12 people and injured 54, with the worst damage in Jijel, Béjaïa and Tizi Ouzou.
- On Monday President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered the justice minister to draft a Penal Code change by September 15 to reintroduce the death penalty for people who deliberately start fires and told governors to forward case information to security services.
- State statements report several arrests of suspected arsonists but give conflicting details about timing, with some accounts saying executions would be 'immediate' and others saying they would occur only after all appeals are exhausted.
- The presidency has declared three days of national mourning and directed ministries to provide compensation, immediate rehousing, and rapid restoration of water, power and communications for affected communities.
- The measure faces procedural steps before it can take effect because the amendment needs government approval and parliamentary action, and the fast timetable plus mixed official statements raise legal and human‑rights questions that observers are likely to scrutinize.