Not just the Amazon: where the world’s forgotten fires are burning
Major fires in Bolivia and central Africa have not attracted same attention as Brazil’s blaze

With the world’s focus on the fires in the Amazon, thousands of blazes in other countries are being forgotten.
“Fires do not stop at borders,” says the BBC, pointing out that Nasa’s map of fires currently burning around the world “clearly shows more fires burning in central Africa”.
Indeed, according to data obtained from Weather Source for Bloomberg, there were 6,902 fires in Angola and 3,395 fires in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, compared with just 2,127 fires in Brazil.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bolivia’s rainforest is also ablaze, with fires raging near its borders with Brazil and Paraguay, yet “little attention has been given to the blaze in Bolivia and its causes,” says the BBC.
The size of the Bolivian fires is believed to have doubled since Thursday. “More than 1.8 million acres have been burned,” reports CNN.
Bolivia’s President Evo Morales has accepted international help in fighting the fires. The US sent a Boeing 747 “supertanker” to drop water on the infernos and has offered further aid in the wake of the G7 summit at the weekend.
Morales said Earth “can live without us, but we can’t live without her”. His stance is in contrast to that of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who angrily rejected an offer of help from the G7 yesterday.
After Emmanuel Macron announced that the leaders of the G7 - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US - would release $22m (£18m) to help fight fires in the Amazon rainforest, some questioned why the French president was not also offering support to help fight the fires burning in Africa.
Macron subsequently tweeted that: “The forest is also burning in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A sea of kites, a game of sand hockey, and more
By Anahi Valenzuela, The Week US
-
G20: Viola Davis stars in 'ludicrous' but fun action thriller
The Week Recommends The award-winning actress plays the 'swashbuckling American president' in this newly released Prime Video film
By The Week UK
-
The Masters: Rory McIlroy finally banishes his demons
In the Spotlight McIlroy's grand slam triumph will go down as 'one of the greatest and most courageous victories in the history of golf'
By The Week UK
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff
-
Brazil's war on illicit hot air balloons
Under the Radar Secret 'baloeiros' fly flamboyantly colourful creations over Rio's favelas, despite nationwide ban
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK