Namibia has deployed 500 soldiers to battle a massive fire consuming nearly a third of the iconic Etosha National Park. The inferno, ignited on 22 September, spread swiftly through the dry savannah, fuelled by fierce winds and brittle vegetation.
Etosha, one of Africa’s largest reserves, shelters 114 mammal species, including the endangered black rhinoceros, making the fire an ecological catastrophe. Authorities said 40 soldiers initially joined locals, police, and farm workers before reinforcements and two helicopters were sent on Sunday.
Defence Minister Frans Kapofi confirmed the troops came from various regions and would cover all affected areas as flames advanced. Officials reported significant wildlife losses, including antelopes, though no human deaths were recorded, even as flames reached communal farmlands.
The presidency said the blaze has destroyed 30 percent of grazing lands, severely threatening biodiversity, wildlife, and livelihoods in surrounding communities. The environment ministry estimated more than 775,000 hectares — about 34 percent of the park — have already been devastated.
Investigators suspect charcoal production on nearby farms sparked the fire, though the exact cause remains under review by authorities. Some zones of the park are now under control, but flames continue to burn fiercely in Omusati near the Angolan border.
Tourism officials closed routes and warned visitors of shifting winds, as the blaze disrupts a park that draws global travellers. Etosha spans over 22,000 square kilometres, crowned by its vast salt pan where flamingoes gather during the rains, now scarred by fire. The government said extinguishing the blaze remains urgent, as each lost tree, each fallen animal, deepens the wound carved into Namibia’s wilderness.