Algeria Dispatches Ministerial Delegation to Wildfire-Hit Annaba as Sayoud Says Authorities Averted “a Real Catastrophe”
Interior Minister Saïd Sayoud led a ministerial delegation to the wildfire-stricken commune of Seraïdi on instructions from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, as authorities stepped up relief efforts, assessed firefighting operations and visited evacuated residents amid a wave of forest fires across northern Algeria.
BY Dr. Hana Saada
ALGIERS — Algeria’s Interior Minister Saïd Sayoud travelled on Wednesday to the forested commune of Seraïdi in the northeastern province of Annaba, leading a ministerial delegation tasked with overseeing wildfire response operations and assessing assistance provided to affected residents, following instructions from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
The delegation included National Solidarity Minister Soraya Mouloudji, Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Aït Messaoudane, Youth Minister Mustapha Hidaoui, and Civil Protection Director-General Colonel Boualem Bourelaf.
The visit focused on evaluating ongoing firefighting operations, reviewing coordination among emergency services and inspecting measures implemented to support residents displaced or affected by the fires. Delegation members also visited evacuees and patients temporarily accommodated at El Mountazah Hotel following precautionary evacuations.
Speaking from Seraïdi, Sayoud praised the response of local authorities, emergency services and residents, saying their vigilance had prevented a far more serious disaster.
“The foresight and vigilance of both civilian and military authorities, together with the efforts of citizens, spared us a real catastrophe,” he said.
The minister confirmed that more than 100 patients had been evacuated from Seraïdi Hospital to Abderrahmane Khane Hospital in Annaba, where they continue to receive medical treatment, psychological support and specialised care.
Sayoud added that President Tebboune has been closely monitoring developments and the work of emergency services engaged in extinguishing the fires and assisting affected populations.
According to the minister, a major wildfire erupted on Tuesday in the forests surrounding Seraïdi before spreading towards nearby urban areas. He attributed the broader wave of fires affecting northern Algeria to exceptionally high temperatures, which have fuelled multiple outbreaks across much of the country’s northern provinces.
The visit forms part of Algeria’s nationwide emergency response as state institutions, Civil Protection units, the People’s National Army, local authorities and humanitarian organisations continue efforts to contain the fires, protect vulnerable communities and support recovery operations.
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