Jijel Fires Leave Villages in Ashes After Devastating Blazes

The devastating fires that swept through parts of Jijel in late August have left affected areas covered in ashes, destroying olive trees, fig trees, farms and other signs of life. Senator Aboudjerra Soltani visited Djemaa Beni Habibi to assess the damage, describing landscapes where, in his words, “only ashes remain.”

In a video published on his Facebook page, Soltani, a senator from the Presidential Third and former minister and president of the MSP, documented the destruction in the mountainous areas of Jijel. Visibly moved, he showed what remained after the fires had passed through the region.

The images show olive and fig trees that were once thriving reduced to charred branches. The surrounding land has also been severely affected, leaving an almost lunar landscape where vegetation and agricultural activity have been wiped out by the flames.

Soltani particularly highlighted the situation in Djemaa Beni Habibi, located around 50 kilometers east of the city of Jijel. According to the senator, the area was previously home to olive groves, fig trees, bees and farms, creating a landscape full of activity and life.

“Here, in Djemaa Beni Habibi (Jijel), there used to be life. There were olives, figs, bees, farms. Today, there is no life left—only ashes,” Soltani said while surveying the devastated surroundings.

The senator also drew attention to the apparent absence of residents from the affected area. Looking across the empty landscapes, he said that “no one lives here anymore” and questioned whether residents had died or simply fled the area following the disaster.

Soltani said he did not know what had happened to the inhabitants, but emphasized the extent of the desolation. “Everything is empty, left and right, and only ashes remain on the ground,” he said.

The destruction comes after a major wave of fires affected the Jijel region in late August, causing significant damage to property and resulting in numerous fatalities. Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visited the affected areas and attended the funerals of several victims on Friday, August 28, two days after the disaster.

Beyond the immediate emergency, the fires prompted a large-scale popular mobilization across the country. Convoys carrying aid headed toward the affected areas as communities sought to support residents who had lost homes, property and sources of livelihood.

The government has also launched a broad campaign aimed at compensating victims and rebuilding areas damaged by the fires. The scale of the destruction documented in Djemaa Beni Habibi underlines the challenge ahead, as affected communities begin confronting the consequences of the disaster and the task of restoring life to landscapes that have been reduced to ashes.