The Confederation of Productive Forces Trade Unions (COSYFOP) stands in solidarity with the families who have lost loved ones and with the communities affected by the wildfires that have struck several parts of Algeria, while also paying tribute to the teams of its National Committee for the Protection of the Environment and Forests, who took part in firefighting efforts and assisted victims in Jijel Province, alongside Civil Protection personnel, workers, volunteers and citizens who mobilized on the ground.

COSYFOP is deeply concerned by the President of the Republic’s announcement of 30 August 2026, which signalled a possible resumption of executions of people convicted in connection with deliberately setting fires, particularly as the authorities have yet to publish a full and up-to-date official assessment of the disaster and major questions remain unanswered about the causes of the fires, the resources deployed, the prevention and warning systems in place, and the overall handling of the crisis.

Following a series of deadly wildfire disasters since 2021, the authorities’ response cannot be reduced to resuming executions, as fires may indeed be deliberately started but can also result from human negligence, accidents or extreme weather conditions, as experience in many countries around the world has shown. Prevention, preparedness, the protection of communities and stronger emergency response capacity must therefore remain the priority.

COSYFOP also stresses that, should executions resume, the consequences would extend far beyond wildfire-related cases, since the death penalty remains available for other offences, including certain charges brought under Article 87 bis of the Penal Code, whose broad use in proceedings against peaceful activists and dissenting voices has already drawn criticism from several international mechanisms.

COSYFOP therefore calls on the authorities to publish a full, official and transparent assessment of the number of victims and the damage caused, and to clarify what measures have been taken since previous wildfires and what resources have actually been deployed to prevent and respond to such disasters, before any discussion of resuming executions takes place.

Fight wildfires with prevention and accountability, not executions.