Porto Velho (Brazil) (AFP)

Under international pressure, Brazil went into action on Sunday in the Amazon, with two C-130 Hercules planes dropping tens of thousands of liters of water over the rainforest, where the number of fires was still rising.

Demonstrations were planned in various Brazilian cities, such as Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte (south-east) in defense of the "lung of the planet" after those of Friday in Europe, while the G7 countries announced aid to the Amazon "as soon as possible".

President Jair Bolsonaro, who had received an offer of help from the American ally, thanked in a tweet late in the morning "dozens of heads of state who (..) will help us overcome the crisis that interests only those who want to weaken Brazil ".

First concrete action taken by the Brazilian government: two C-130 Hercules capable of carrying 12,000 liters of water and retardant were deployed in the morning by the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), announced the Ministry of Defense.

These water bombers operate at low altitude from the city of Porto Velho, in the state of Rondonia (north-west), who woke up again under a disturbing smoke cover.

The number of fires increased by 1,130 throughout Brazil in 24 hours, according to the National Institute of Space Research (INPE). The latest figures on Saturday night show 79,513 forest fires since the beginning of the year in Brazil, including just over half in the Amazon.

- 43,000 soldiers -

Regions of Rondonia, border state of Bolivia, are experiencing uncontrollable fires that send columns of fumes into the sky and huge amounts of carbon, AFP journalists said.

So far, seven states, including Rondonia, have appealed to the army. Some 43,000 Amazon-based soldiers are available to fight fires, said Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva.

The governors of the affected states have urgently requested "material support" from Jair Bolsonaro who accused them this week of "connivance" with the authors of "arson".

The government has released emergency funds of 38 million reais (8.2 million euros) for fire-fighting operations conducted by the Ministry of Defense.

The Minister of Justice and Public Security, Sergio Moro, has given the green light to the deployment of police officers against illegal deforestation in the Amazon.

Accelerated deforestation under Jair Bolsonaro's government, which promotes cattle farming and livestock farming in the world's largest rainforest, correlates with the dry season and explains the magnitude of these fires.

- "political use" -

"It's worse every year, but this time the smoke is really important," said Deliana Amorim, a resident of Porto Velho where 500,000 people live.

Fires in the Amazon have caused a stir on the international scene and various countries, especially France, have criticized Jair Bolsonaro over the past week for his inaction, demanding an immediate reaction.

At the G7 summit in Biarritz (southwestern France), the G7 countries agreed Sunday to "help as soon as possible countries hit by fires". About 60% of the Amazon is in Brazilian territory.

"There is a real convergence to say + we all agree to help as soon as possible the countries that are struck by these fires +," said French President Emmanuel Macron.

Pope Francis said Sunday he was "worried" about "this vital lung for our planet".

He adds, however, that the "fires this year are not more numerous than the average of those of the last 15 years", and denounces "the political use of these fires" and "misinformation".

A few days ago, he caused an uproar by expressing his "suspicions" about an NGO's responsibility in the fires.

© 2019 AFP