#Algeriaisburning: in Algeria, civil society is organizing to fight against fires

Dozens of people give bottles of water, clothes and hygiene products to volunteers, who then place them in trucks heading for Kabylia: these images are multiplying on social networks, Wednesday, August 11. While the north of Algeria has been affected for three days by violent fires, citizen initiatives are multiplying to come to the aid of the victims.

The first fires broke out on Monday evening in several regions of northern Algeria, notably in Tizi Ouzou, a city of 1.2 million inhabitants. Since then, they have continued to spread. Wednesday, according to civil protection spokesperson Nassim Barnaoui, relayed by the Algerian media TSA, 69 fires were still active in 17 wilayas.

On social networks, the many videos circulating show scenes of the apocalypse. The towns of Sétif, Bejaïa, Khenchela or even Blida and the surrounding villages found themselves surrounded by flames. Vegetation and herds are decimated, and residents forced to flee to safety.

A total of 65 people died in these fires, according to a new report from national television. The worst tragedy occurred Tuesday, at the end of the day, when 28 soldiers perished while evacuating villagers threatened by the flames, in the mountains of Bejaïa and Tizi Ouzou.

Dozens of citizen convoys

Faced with these terrifying images, a wave of solidarity quickly took hold in the country, organized mainly through social networks. Appeals for donations are counted in the hundreds, each of them relayed by dozens of Internet users who communicate on the drop-off points and lists of necessary products.

On Wednesday, many convoys carrying these donations and coming from different towns in Algeria converge towards the north filled with basic necessities.

Other Internet users are busy relaying information about the situation on the spot, alerting to areas to avoid and warning against false information.

Some are also relaying calls for help when power cuts have been noted and many people remain unreachable in the disaster areas.

“We have just received a call, the volunteer citizens and the firefighters who are fighting hard against the fires in Ath Ouaneche and Alma need fresh water”, thus explains Internet user, providing a number to contact to help.

“A lack of drugs at the Douera hospital, where the wounded were evacuated”, can we read in another message.

Heat records

Algeria is affected by forest fires every year. In 2020, 44,000 hectares of vegetation had gone up in smoke. But the fires of this summer are of unprecedented violence, fueled by an extreme heatwave and persistent winds.

According to Algerian meteorological services, this extreme heat should also continue until the end of the week with temperatures exceeding 35 ° C and reaching up to 47 ° C in some areas, especially in the north. Particularly worrying forecasts which raise fears that the fires will continue for several days.

If the heat wave certainly favors the development of these fires, the Algerian authorities have however mentioned a criminal origin, without giving any details. On Tuesday, at least four people accused of being responsible for the fires were arrested: one in Annaba, according to the Algerian news agency APS, and three in Médéa, according to Algerian public radio.

Already weakened by the Covid-19

This new crisis comes as the country is already severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the beginning of the summer, it has suffered a peak in contamination and has been facing hospitals that are overwhelmed and sorely lacking in equipment.

Already, a strong solidarity of civil society had been put in place with many citizens’ initiatives. Manufacturers, particularly in the agri-food sector, had, for example, agreed to finance dozens of oxygen generators. Several jackpots had also flourished, sometimes raising up to 50,000 euros, recalls the newspaper Le Monde.

For its part, the government, already accused of having badly anticipated this epidemic rebound, is now singled out for the management of these fires. Several voices, including the leader of the opposition Rassemblement pour la culture et la democratie (RCD), Mohcine Belabbas, raised the tone, denouncing a lack of resources for relief and seeing this citizen mobilization as a way to compensate for a failure of the State.

Tuesday evening, the Prime Minister, Aïmène Benabderahmane, however indicated that Algeria was in contact with the European Union to charter planes specialized in the fight against fires. In France, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister of Foreign Affairs, has already said that the country “stands ready to lend its support”.

The shock of the diaspora abroad

And as to fight against Covid-19, Algerians can count on the support of the Algerian diaspora abroad. On social networks, amid the messages of support shared under the keyword #prayforAlgeria, many are offering their help.

“A great thought for Algeria which suffers enormously”, thus reacted the Algerian football player Kader Rahim.

In France, several associations have already announced that they are setting up collections for Algeria. “Info for Île-de-France : a collection is organized at the Argenteuil mosque: medical products but other useful donations can be accepted (baby bottles, etc.) A flight to Algeria this Monday and others will be organized “, announces a user on Twitter .