The army is already responsible for fighting the fire

The Brazilian Ministry of Defense announced yesterday that the armed forces had already started work to fight fires in the Amazon, a day after President Jair Bolsonaro authorized the employment of military personnel in the region. According to Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva, four of the nine states in the Amazon region have formally requested the sending of armed forces teams to help regional entities fight against llamas. Azevedo e Silva stressed that, initially, he will use the 44,000 men who act in the region, so it will not be necessary to move troops from other parts of the country. "Everything will depend on the mission and the place. But we can quickly make a strategic and effective concentration, "said the government official.

At the same time, Lieutenant-Brigadier Raúl Botelho, Chief of the General Staff of the Brazilian Armed Forces, explained that two planes with a capacity of 12,000 liters each are used as part of 39; specific actions in the state of Rondonia. In addition, yesterday morning, a helicopter, four aircraft and thirty volunteer firefighters were displaced in the region. At dusk, it was expected the beginning of "effective action" of the army, which will have the mission to fight against flames and environmental crimes. Actions in the Amazon will be coordinated by the armed forces and will bring together teams from different institutions, including the Federal Police, the Highway Police, Ibama (an agency of the Ministry of the Environment) and the Ministry of the Environment. Regional governments themselves.

Although the military has already begun operations, Defense still expects $ 7 million to be released for emergencies, which remain frozen by the federal government for the time being. According to Azevedo e Silva, unlocking was already allowed and is "agreed", but he admitted that he will only believe it when he "will open the safe and will see money". According to official data, Brazil registered between January and August this year 71,497 sources of fires, of which just over half were precisely in the Amazon region, which provoked a wave of criticism at the same time. inside and outside the territory. country and triggered international tension likely to bring down the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur.

Peruvians, sure for the moment

Peru, the second country after Brazil that has more territory in the Amazon, is currently safe from the big fires that consume the jungle of neighboring countries. however, their forests also burn each year and do so silently for thousands of small fires caused mainly by peasants. They represent about 68.5 million hectares of forests that occupy nearly 54% of the Peruvian territory, the eastern slopes of the Andes at its borders with Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and Bolivia, which is one of eight countries of South America that make up the basin. Amazon

44,000 The number of soldiers to use for the moment

In principle, the military authorities believe that this number of troops will be sufficient. In any case, the call for troops from other parts of Brazil to badist in the Amazon region is not excluded.

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