Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro authorises army to combat Amazon rainforest fires
- The fires raging in parts of the world’s largest rainforest have sparked protests around the world
- France and Ireland threatened to block a trade deal between the EU and the South American trade bloc Mercosur if Brazil failed to curb the fires
President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday authorised the deployment of Brazil’s armed forces to help combat fires raging in the Amazon, amid growing international pressure.
Plumes of thick smoke rose into the sky above dense forest in the northwestern state of Rondonia, where bright orange flames from various fires were visible for kilometres.
“It’s not normal and it’s like this because of the smoke from the fires,” said a hotel employee in the state capital Porto Velho, which was covered by a layer of smoke as fires burned near the city.
The latest official figures show 76,720 forest fires were recorded in Brazil so far this year – the highest number for any year since 2013 – which experts blame on accelerating deforestation as land is cleared during the months-long dry season to make way for crops or grazing.