Bolsonaro’s Chief of Staff to Propose Extension of Armed Forces Presence in Amazon

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Onyx Lorenzoni, the Presidential Chief of Staff, said yesterday, September 3rd, that he plans to suggest to President Jair Bolsonaro that the Armed Forces extend their presence in the Amazon for at least another month, until October.

On August 23rd, Bolsonaro authorized a Law and Order Guarantee operation (GLO), which was named Environmental GLO, for the military to fight fires in the Amazon forest. The action is due to end on September 24th.

“We have carried out the first prompt confrontation in the areas where we had fires, but it is very important to fight the causes, which are linked to illegal deforestation, illegal mining,” said Onyx, after meeting with the governors of the western Amazon states (Amazonas, Acre, Rondônia and Roraima) in Manaus.

According to Onyx, teams from the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), which carry out inspection work in the area, also need the support of the Armed Forces in preserving the forest.

Onyx leads a presidential delegation to the Amazon to discuss the fight against deforestation and illegal fires and collect proposals for a sustainable development plan for the region. Yesterday, September 2nd, in Belém, the group met with the governors of the eastern states – Pará, Maranhão, Amapá, Tocantins, and Mato Grosso. The meetings continued the governors’ conference with President Bolsonaro last week in Brasília.

According to the Presidential Chief of Staff, on Tuesday the governors again mentioned land tenure, economic and ecological zoning and the development of so-called green economy as a key to a good policy planning for the region. They also call for permanent monitoring of fires. According to Onyx, the federal government should consolidate proposals and present a structured and structuring plan for the Brazilian Amazon within approximately ten days.

“A plan that manages to make production and preservation go hand in hand, allowing us to preserve this great heritage that Brazil has, but, on the other hand, that the 23 million women and men of the Amazon may have good living conditions, and the ability to develop productively”, said Onyx.