Allexer Namundjembo
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said it is assessing shortfalls in the implementation of a fire management strategy for protected areas following devastating wildfires in Etosha National Park.
Environment and tourism minister Indileni Daniel said in a media statement on Wednesday that corrective measures will be considered once the assessment is complete.
She said the evaluation also aims to determine the extent of damage caused by the fires, including possible wildlife casualties.
Daniel said the process may take several days.
The ministry said following an aerial assessment conducted on Tuesday, no active fires were detected inside the park.
However, she said mopping-up operations are ongoing. Ground teams remain deployed to prevent flare-ups, with 364 Namibian Defence Force (NDF) personnel involved in fire control efforts.
Of these, 40 remain inside the park, supported by nine Drone Support Unit members for aerial surveillance and 30 Air Force personnel for air operations.
A further 80 members are deployed outside the park.
The ministry said to date, 853 946 hectares had been burnt. This accounts for 38% of the park’s affected area.
The ministry has also deployed three veterinarians to monitor wildlife, with attention focused on water points and animal corridors.
Daniel urged visitors to report injured animals to park management.
She said outside Etosha, the Ombonde fire remains active, and a combined team of 45 NDF members, ministry staff, and community volunteers has been dispatched to contain it.
She said a smaller fire detected between Ekeeholongo and Onambandje Yomilunga is surrounded by previously burnt terrain and is not spreading.
“Fires around Amarika and Onkaanka have been extinguished.”
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, in a statement read in parliament on her behalf by prime minister Elijah Ngurare, said the government is concerned about the devastating impacts of the Etosha wildfire.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the disaster had severely affected both the environment and the tourism sector, stressing that the scale and urgency of the crisis required an integrated national response.
“The scale and urgency of this matter have required the government to respond in an integrated and comprehensive manner,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
She also commended the role of private partners and volunteers, noting, “We commend the private sector, neighbouring farmers, surrounding communities and nonprofit organisations who joined the government in these efforts of putting down the fire.”
The government’s handling of the fire has, however, faced public criticism. Volunteer groups, such as the Namibian Marshall Rangers, questioned why the military was only fully mobilised several days after the fire began.
The ministry is expected to host a media briefing on the matter today.
