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20 Mar 1998
In January, the Head of the United Nations Office for Coordination for Human
Affairs (UNEP/OCHA), Mr Sakharov, suggested to the Brazilian Environment
Ministry and to the Ministry for the Interior that in the light of the
worsening fires a special UN team with experience of fighting fires
in Indonesia should go out to Roraima in order to devise an emergency
aid package. The Brazilian Government didn't reply. Two weeks ago the
UN contacted the Brazilian Authorities again, but have still not received
a reply.
Sarah Tyack, Forest Campaigner for Friends of the Earth International, said:
“We are appalled that the Brazilian Government appears to have ignored this UN offer of assistance. The authorities in Brazil must wake up to the fact that these fires are causing massive regional and global damage and must be tackled urgently. Friends of the Earth International is also calling on the rich nations to join with UNEP in helping to tackle these horrendous fires. How much worse will the situation get before we see firm action?”
Weeks after the Roraima state governor declared a state of emergency, only a handful of fire fighters have been deployed to tackle forest fires raging out of control. An area of rainforest and pasture land twice the size of Belgium has already been scorched and the fire is now encroaching upon a Yanomami indigenous reserve putting the lives of the Yanomami people at risk.
According to local reports, people in the forest are already losing
their homes and are cut off with low water supplies. Thousands of cattle
have already died and a third of the state's crops have gone up in smoke.
Contact details:
Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html
Media team
