A Perennial Crisis: Wildfires in Algeria

Wildfires have been a perennial problem around the world before and during the pandemic. Northern Africa is no exception to this rule. According to scientists, one of the major causes of wildfires in the Mediterranean region is heatwaves, which occurred between July and August. Heatwaves led to major wildfires in Greece, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. Algeria experienced an outbreak of wildfires throughout the summer. This past summer the country experienced a major heatwave with temperatures for successive days over 118 degrees.

In August wildfires erupted in forest regions across the northern regions of Algeria. More than 10,000 soldiers were mobilized to fight the fires. The fires damaged property and families were forced to flee. The wildfires claimed the lives of 69 people, 41 civilians and 28 soldiers. The fires are the worst recorded since independence in 1962. Algeria President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared three days of national mourning for the victims of this catastrophe.

Algerian authorities, at the outset, quickly attributed the occurrence of wildfires to arsonists. Some of these accusations were politically motivated. They were designed to deflect attention from the shortcomings of the government’s response to the crisis. One of the most shocking aspects of this crisis has been videos showing the mountainous province of Tizi Ouzou being engulfed by flames. Residents can be seen trying to respond to the challenge without protective gear and very few additional resources to effectively manage the situation.

Many natural factors contribute to wildfires in Algeria. These factors also complicate the ability of firefighters to effectively respond. These factors include large areas of forests and scrublands amounting to almost 10 million acres. These forested areas are mostly in the north and western portions of the country. Wildfires occur in areas with limited access and steep slopes. Another challenge is that fire is frequently used by locals for pasture regeneration. People are responsible for more than 40% to 70% of the fires.

Algeria is trying to manage fires more proactively. This effort is being led by the General Directorate of Forests. Steps are being taken to increase this agency’s efficiency. Acquisition of intervention equipment including forest fire trucks, more aircraft for firefighting and a radio network for communication are just a few of the changes being instituted. French President Emmanuel Macron has offered to deploy two water bombers to the region. The Algerian Ministry of Defense recently announced its intent to buy four Russian Beriev Be-200 Altair firefighting planes.

In addition to the acquisition of equipment, information about wildfires is also needed. Currently, Algeria lacks an institutionalized program for investigations of wildfires. Statistics on fires and maintenance of fire databases is essentially for better decision making during a crisis. The firefighting sector is grossly underfunded. Investments are severely needed to prevent a repeat of this tragedy.