Brazil says open to aid, but will decide how to use it

Brazil said on Tuesday that it will accept foreign aid to help fight fires in the Amazon rainforest on the condition that the Latin American country controls the money.

“The Brazilian government through President (Jair) Bolsonaro is open to receiving financial support from organizations and even countries,” Presidential spokesman Otavio Rego Barros told reporters.

“The essential point is that this money, on entering Brazil, will be under the control of the Brazilian people.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Bolsonaro had said he would only consider accepting a $20 million offer of aid from the Group of Seven wealthy nations if French President Emmanuel Macron withdrew the “insults” against him.

The number of blazes in Brazil has skyrocketed 80% in the year to date compared to the same period in 2018, according to data from space research agency INPE.

The fires are not limited to Brazil, with at least 10,000 sq km (about 3,800 sq miles) burning in Bolivia, near its border with Paraguay and Brazil.