Namibia deploys army to fight fire in one of Africa’s largest reserves

In a social media post, Prime Minister Tjitunga Ngurare Manongo announced that Namibia had sent more than 500 soldiers to fight the massive fire that has destroyed a third of the world’s largest wildlife reserve, Etosha National Park.

Starting on Sunday, Manongo promised to assist firefighters, police, and volunteer firefighters who are already battling the “raging fire.”

A major tourist draw, the park in the north of the largely deserted country, is home to 114 different species of mammals, including the critically endangered black rhinoceros.

According to Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, the fire started on September 22 and quickly spread due to strong winds and dry vegetation, causing significant ecological damage.

The ministry has closed some tourist destinations and advised people to be cautious because the wind direction could change unexpectedly.

The government also sent two helicopters to the area on Sunday to assist with firefighting efforts following an emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday, according to a statement from the president.

The reinforcements reportedly accompanied 40 soldiers who had already been fighting the blaze on Saturday, along with police, residents, and people from nearby farms and private enterprises.

Defence Minister Frans Kapofi told the AFP news agency that the extra troops “are deployed from various regions and will be deployed in all affected areas.”

The presidency stated that “unknown number of wildlife had been killed, while thankfully no human casualties had been reported,” adding that the fire had spread to some neighborhood.

The fire “presents a significant threat to the communities’ biodiversity, wildlife, and livelihood.” The fire destroyed a further 30% of the park’s grazing, according to the statement, adding that it was still trying to figure out what started the blaze.

The fire, which is thought to have been the result of charcoal-producing activities on commercial farms close to the park, was reported on Saturday by the Environment Ministry.

According to the statement, “The ecological damage inside ENP is extensive, with an estimated 775, 163 hectares [1.9 million acres] burned, about 34 percent of the park.

According to the ministry of environment and tourism, Etosha National Park’s extensive ecological damage exceeds 34% of its original size. https: //t. co/F6M4rVHY3k pic. https://twitter.com/ueTBcwj0gj

According to the presidency, information gathered by ground-based teams indicated that the fire was still under control on Sunday in some areas but that it was still spreading to the Omusati region, which is close to the country’s border with Angola.

The ancient Etosha salt pan, which is about 130 kilometers (81 miles) long and 50 kilometers (31 miles) wide and attracts large numbers of migratory flamingoes during the rainy season, serves as its main attraction. It covers a total of 22 square kilometers (8,600 square miles) and is located in the park.

Last week, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, president of Namibia, stated to the UN General Assembly that “climate change is drying up our rivers and scorching our lands.”

She also urged governments to support the UN Convention’s stronger support for the Namib Declaration.

Namibia, one of the dozens of nations that argued at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year, argued that the two are inextricably linked, with Namibia’s submission focusing notably on the right to have access to water.

The world’s highest court ruled in July that nations must abide by international law and that failing to do so could lead to future legal battles between the countries.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently discovered that wildfires are increasingly causing poor air quality because of climate change, which causes more and more fires and smoke to travel far distances to other nations and even continents.