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Bolivian President Evo Morales helping firefighters near Charagua, on the border with Paraguay, August 29, 2019. AIZAR RALDES / AFP

The Amazon continues to burn, especially in Bolivia, where the situation in Chiquitania does not seem to be improving. More than two million hectares have already gone up in the country. Yet the whole country is mobilized, and even more, forces from around the world come to help volunteers on the spot. But the logistics are not well established, and the political stakes are becoming more precise.

from our correspondent in La Paz,

The people who are currently fighting the fires are first and foremost Bolivian volunteers who come from all over the country to help put out the fires. And if all are full of good will, some are not trained. And fighting the flames is not trivial, two volunteers have already died in the fire.

Bolivian armed forces, sometimes military recruits, who do not have much more experience than volunteers are also present. But there are also the country's firefighters. And now there are foreign forces including Argentinian firefighters, Peruvian, and for ten days forty or so French soldiers specialized in forest fires.

Coordination problem

The problem is the coordination between all these professionals. We must choose the work areas together. We must find vehicles, but also gasoline; know how fires evolve sometimes very far away. And you just have to be able to communicate. An example: the French military are under European mandate, and some European Union officials met on the spot do not speak Spanish or French.

► See also: Amazonia: Bolivia finally accepts international aid

There are also pilots of water bombers who complain of not being in contact with the ground forces. However, it is not enough to water the areas that burn, then it takes people who rake to really extinguish the fire. If there are professionals and the desire to work, the organization is not optimal.

Presidential elections on the horizon

To all this, is added a political stake. The presidential elections will be held in a little over a month, and these fires will play a role, that's for sure. Evo Morales is accused of allowing farmers to use fire to clear land, which is at the root of the current disaster. And today, these same farmers are asking for the " environmental pause " to be lifted, which prevents them from cultivating for the moment because of the fires.

The president, candidate for his own reelection, appears in the media, staging a firefighter for a day. Perhaps he hopes to be elected for a fourth term .