Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced arresting 22 suspects for allegedly setting the fires that continue to burn in 14 provinces, and so far killing 72 people.
He told the nation in a televised speech Thursday night that the causes of the blazes are not yet determined, though several people have been arrested for alleged arson.
He launched an investigation as to whether the high number of fires could be linked to criminal activity, or the high temperatures soaring in the Mediterranean.
He warned Algerians to be “cautious” of Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (MAK) and the Rachad opposition groups, suggesting the groups might have been involved in the fires.
Both MAK and Rachad are labeled terrorist entities in Algeria.
“We must not fall into the trap of two terrorist organizations who want to seize this opportunity to attack national unity,” he warned, referring to MAK and Rachad.
Tebboune declared on Wednesday a three-day national mourning starting Thursday, temporarily freezing all government and local activities, except for solidarity campaigns.
Across the Mediterranean, climate experts are saying the troubling rate of this year’s fire season is a sign of a warming planet that is being made even hotter by the carbon emissions from the fires.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.