More than 30,000 hectares of land has been destroyed by raging fires which broke out in Shakiso district, in Borena zone of Oromiya State, southeast Ethiopia over three weeks ago. “The fire is still out of control,” counsellor at the Ethiopian embassy in Nairobi, Mengistu Ayalew, said on Friday. “Help from the international community is yet to come.” The fire has caused the deaths of hundreds of animals at the National Park in the Bale Mountains, destroyed forests, electricity poles, residential houses and bee hives. “It is a catastrophe,” he told IRIN. The fire is believed to have been started by either farmers who were preparing their lands for cultivation or people looking for wild honey. Mengistu said investigations were underway and several people had been arrested.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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