Algerians battle deadly wildfires as Tebboune seeks death penalty for arson

ALGIERS, Algeria -- Algerian firefighters are struggling against an unprecedented wave of deadly and devastating wildfires that have prompted the president to call for reinstating the death penalty for arsonists.The fires have spread across several provinces, creating a vast front of flames stretching from the center to the far east of the country. Civil Protection units, supported by army squadrons, were still battling flare-ups in the provinces of Sétif and Guelma this week, where large swathes of forests have been burned. The province of Jijel, 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of Algiers, renowned for its fine sandy beaches, turquoise waters and hills of olive trees and fruit trees and cedars, has suffered the greatest damage.Nothing remained of the 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of forests, only smoldering ashes and charred tree stumps. The official number of deaths in Jijel stood at 12, according to one of the first statements by the Interior Ministry at the beginning of the crisis at the end of August. But the situation is far more tragic, with videos on social media showing dozens of coffins lined up beside mass graves, awaiting burial before the bodies decompose ...