Algeria president seeks death penalty for arsonists after deadly forest fires

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has said he wants to reinstate the death penalty for arsonists, following a wave of forest fires that have killed at least 12 people.

The president ordered the justice ministry to introduce changes to the criminal law introducing capital punishment for arsonists. Capital punishment remains in the country's penal code for some offences, but no execution has been carried out since 1993.

More than 100 wildfires have been recorded in recent days in the north-east of the country, most of which have been extinguished.

The Algerian president said necessary investigations would be carried out especially in view of the intensity of the fires.

On Sunday, he gave a 15 September deadline for amendments to provide for the death sentence for anyone convicted of intentionally starting a fire in forested areas.

Under the current law, deliberately starting forest fires is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, or life imprisonment in certain cases.

Deadly blazes swept through large swathes of northern Algeria last week, causing widespread destruction, injuring dozens and displacing thousands of people.

The fires erupted amid an intense heatwave in northern Africa, with Algeria and Tunisia particularly affected.