Rabat – Algeria’s regime is ignoring police findings in order to claim a Moroccan-Israeli conspiracy was responsible for the country’s horrific wildfires.
Algeria’s police have launched 500 investigations into arson as the cause for the country’s devastating wildfires. Algerian news outlet El Chorouk published the results of the investigations in an analysis concluding that several Algerian minors had committed arson that led to the national crisis.
“Overwhelming evidence”
Algerian police and gendarmerie uncovered video footage on the phones of at least 15 minors showing the youngsters deliberately setting fire to local forests. The police concluded that 80% of the fires had been ignited through criminal intent. Security forces arrested 15 minors, with 5 having been brought before the public prosecutor in Algiers.
The police have stated they have “overwhelming evidence” that the calamitous forest fires were primarily started by underage Algerians, triggering a national crisis amid a sweltering heatwave.
Yet, the aftermath of a national crisis that claimed 90 lives is already being used for political means by a regime desperate to divert public outrage away from itself. Despite the findings of Algerian police, the country’s top leaders are instead blaming an undefined conspiracy theory involving Morocco and Israel.
Diversionary narrative
Algeria’s political elite were quick to cast blame for the forest fires upon their traditional rivals. An August 18 press release from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune alleged the fires, and a resulting lynch mob had been organized by regional political players. Tebboune blamed the Kabylia Autonomy Movement (MAK) and the Islamist Rachad movement.
Algeria’s powerful Chief of Staff of the Army Said Chengriha took it one step further in a speech on August 19 to mark key anniversaries regarding Algeria’s independence struggle. Chengriha called for “vigilance” as he described the forest fires as a foreign plot as part of a “comprehensive and integrated conspiracy,” against Algeria.
“We are determined to thwart this plot, whatever efforts and sacrifices it requires, supported by our proud people,” Chengriha stated, before asking the Algerian people to sacrifice even more. Chengriha used the alleged foreign threat as a justification to use the forest fires to call for increasing military spending amid the country’s structural economic crisis.
Intentional tensions
Within weeks of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI extending an olive branch to Algeria, it is clear that Morocco continues to serve as the boogeyman in rhetoric coming from Algiers. Algerian newspapers have written about unprecedented tensions between the two Maghrebi states, despite repeated Moroccan efforts to de-escalate years of distrust.
Facing another national catastrophe and faced with a restless and disgruntled population, Algeria’s regime appears to have only one trick left: Escalate tensions with Morocco and blame all of Algeria’s issues on its neighbor.
While this strategy is likely to undermine regional peace and development, it appears to be the only way left that the pseudo-military regime in Algiers can justify its own existence to an Algerian population crying out for change.
