Santa Cruz Committee issues citizen declaration of national fire disaster in Bolivia

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(CNN Spanish) - Given the refusal of the Government of Bolivia to declare a national disaster, the Committee for Santa Cruz, approved Tuesday night together with the Assembly of the Cruceñidad, to issue a citizen declaration of national disaster due to fires in the Chiquitanía.

The president of the committee, Luis Fernando Camacho, explained that this decision was taken because the Government of Evo Morales “has not taken appropriate internal actions in a timely manner to mitigate the effects of the fires and make the decision to declare a national disaster, in order to obtain the international aid that allows to put out the fires ”.

MIRA: Two million hectares were razed by fire in Bolivia

Through this citizen declaration, Camacho asks for international collaboration to receive logistical support and receive humanitarian aid.

The committee also proposed the creation of an inter-institutional entourage, to be transferred to the affected areas, with technicians and specialists, in order to assess the situation and determine the causes of the fires. In addition, it asks the local authorities to suspend departmental festive acts, in solidarity with those affected by the fires.

Another central resolution of the committee was to convene a council to define measures to follow. Camacho explained that the date of the council will be decided on Thursday and announced that several citizen consultations will be taken to the council. Among them, an indefinite strike "for the people to decide."

The defense minister, Javier Zavaleta, described the request for a national disaster declaration in the country as "political." According to the state agency ABI, for Zavaleta, those who demand the declaration "intend to generate panic in the population, just by winning votes."

According to the Government of Santa Cruz, forest fires in Bolivia have consumed two million hectares, 900,000 of them, in protected areas.