Focus on Africa
Focus on Africa
BBC World Service
Deadly wildfires ravage Algeria
22 minutes Posted Jul 22, 2026 at 3:00 pm.
0:00
22:59
Download MP3
Show notes

The Algerian government has said that six people have died in wildfires in several provinces in recent days, as a deadly heatwave ravages the country. Officials have also instructed provincial governors to carry out comprehensive assessments of the damage to help guide future compensation for affected communities. The fires come as several Mediterranean countries, including France and Italy, are struggling with severe wildfires driven by extreme summer temperatures. Since the beginning of July, civil defence teams have responded to nearly 1,500 wildfires nationwide, more than double the number reported during the previous year.

Also, a new Google Trends report shows more Nigerian youth are using AI to learn foreign languages such as French and German, as well as sign language.

Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna

Producers: Keikantse Shumba and Blessing Aderogba
Senior Producers: Caroline Mwangi and Charles Gitonga
Technical Producer: Maxwell Onyango
Editors: Rhoda Odhiambo and Maryam Abdalla