Why is it set in S. America and not Oran?

Why'd they change the setting? Camus set it in Algeria because that's where he grew up, and it serves as a great backdrop for so much of his work. It provides the sun and sea for Meursault in L'Etranger, and in La Peste it contrasts starkly with the death of the plague and helps characterize the citizens of Oran as superficial and fun-loving beach-goers.

~^~Help! Babies ate my dingo!~^~