Fires Rage In Argentinian Patagonia As Millei Cuts Funding, Targets Indigenous Groups For "Arson"
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Hundreds of residents have been evacuated. The southern hemisphere summer (between December and February) is the dry season in Argentina and Chile, favouring forest fires. Intense, arid winds from the Andes and temperatures above the normal range have worsened the situation. In 2021, under similar conditions of drought, high winds and temperatures, the region experienced wildfires that left three people dead, 500 homes destroyed and 14,000 hectares of forest burnt.
But authorities in both provinces have stressed the criminal intent behind the fires, downplaying other factors such as the impact of increasing tourism, pine plantations or inadequate maintenance of the electricity infrastructure. While climate scientists believe rising temperatures increase the risk of wildfires, Argentina’s president Javier Milei has called called the climate crisis a “socialist lie.” Accordingly, his government is imposing budget cuts on its environmental agencies. In 2024, the National Fire Management System budget alone was cut by 81%.
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In response to the wildfires, the response has been violent. Even before the outbreaks were under control, authorities identified guilty parties and made arrests. Early on 11 February, simultaneous raids were launched against Mapuche communities and households across Chubut. Search warrants listed molotov cocktails, accelerants and communications equipment. The raids resulted in one person, Victoria Núñez Fernández, being taken into custody and charged with an unrelated arson. In Pillán Mahuiza, 250km south of the fires, helicopters and snipers accompanied security forces to raids. At a press conference the following day, flanked by armed and masked special forces, Chubut’s minister of security and justice, Héctor Iturrioz, said they had prepared for an “armed confrontation” and “lethal traps”.
Mauro Millán, a prominent Mapuche organiser and community member, calls the statement absurd, saying it “recalls the Vietnam war”, not the area’s rural communities. He says that the “ongoing persecution” of the communities has created a climate of fear as further threats of evictions have been announced. “Not only are the forests going up in flames, so is the rule of law,” he says. Mauro’s sister Moira, a leading Mapuche activist in Argentina, says the tactics used, including the confiscation of books, “recall the military dictatorship” – a reference to the brutal regime that lasted from 1976 to 1983.
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https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/feb/26/forests-flames-argentina-wildfires-patagonia-
= new reply since forum marked as read
in my head, I thought they ran up against each other, but there's that small mountain range in between and a bunch of degrees of latitude further south 