France sends waterbomber aircraft to Algeria as wildfires claim more victims

Firefighters, soldiers and civilian volunteers are battling blazes in forests across northern Algeria which have now claimed 69 lives. France is sending two Canadair firefighting planes and a command aircraft to help get the forest fires under control while citizens organise their own aid efforts for victims.

Local people do what they can to help firefighters in Kabylie, 11 August. AFP - RYAD KRAMDI

Some 69 fires, spread across 17 provinces, were burning on Wednesday emergency services spokesman Nassim Barnaoui told reporters.

The death toll has reached at least 69 people, including 28 soldiers.

The mountainous mainly Berber region of Kabylie, east of the capital Algiers, has been the worst hit. 

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has declared three days of national mourning for the victims beginning Thursday.

Fanned by strong winds and tinder-dry conditions, officials are also blaming arson and several arrests have been made.

Dès foyers de feux aux alentours du centre ville #Tizi_Ouzou #Algerie pic.twitter.com/PFHblF3WL6

— Lynda Goumeziane (@lygoumeziane) August 11, 2021

Most of the fires and 16 of the deaths were recorded in Tizi Ouzou district where people live in remote villages. According to Algeria's fire service some 9,000 locals have been forced to flee. Many have lost their homes.

"There's a lot of panic in the villages, people don't know what to do so they're leaving," Kamira Nait Said, a local resident told RFI. 

"There's no more contact with the burning villages, no electricity, no phone network. It's hell."

A resident of Larbaa Nath Irathen, in Kabylie, watches in desperation as his village burns. AP - Fateh Guidoum

National solidarity

Civilians from all over the country are mobilising to help the worst-hit areas.

Amine Ghaoui travelled 500kms by bus from Khenchela in the east to the Kabylie region.

"Around 50 of us have taken tools, medecine and bandages to help with burns," he told RFI.

Salim Bechohra, a resident from the centre of Tizi Ouzou, organised the distribution of milk and bread and body cream to treat burns. "They need it, they pleaded for help. We're offering some respite," he said.

But while locals appreciate the spontaneous show of solidarity, some deplore the lack of official government aid.

"The state has given up, it's not present in Tizi Ouzou, in Kabylie," local resident Hakim told RFI. "The people themselves are trying to get organised and unfortunately we have no experience and it's a bit of a mess. Good will isn't enough!" he said.

A Canadair firefighting aircraft drops water on a wildfire REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

French aid

France, which hosts a large Algerian diaspora, has expressed solidarity with Algeria and offered support to help get the raging fires under control.

France is sending two Canadair waterbomber planes, along with a command aircraft to Kabylie on Thursday, President Macron announced on Twitter, offering "unreserved solidarity" to Algerians and expressing his "full support."

Face aux drames auxquels sont confrontés les amis de la France, notre solidarité est sans réserve. Au peuple algérien, je veux apporter tout notre soutien. Dès demain, deux Canadairs et un avion de commandement seront déployés en Kabylie en proie à de violents incendies.

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 11, 2021

Neighbouring Morocco, with whom Algeria has long had strained ties over the Western Sahara, said it was also ready to help.

Rabat offered two Canadair planes "if the Algerian authorities agree", a Moroccan foreign ministry statement said.

Algeria is also chartering two firefighting planes from the EU, aircraft recently being used to stop fires in Greece.

Heatwave

Meteorologists expect the heatwave across North Africa to continue until the end of the week, with temperatures in Algeria reaching 46 degrees Celsius.

In neighbouring Tunisia, the temperature in the capital Tunis hit an all-time record of 49 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.

The Tunisian emergency services reported 15 fires across the north and northwest, but no casualties.

Fires have also caused devastation in Mediterranean countries over the last two weeks, including Turkey, Greece, Lebanon and Cyprus

Turkey has reported eight deaths and Greece three.