Two indigenous people died and five others were injured in a conflict between two communities in the Yanomami Indigenous Land, in Roraima, on Monday afternoon (11), according to the president of the Yanomami and Ye´kuana District Council for Indigenous Health, Júnior Hekurari. Yanomami.
“Along with the miners, the Tirei community attacked the Pixanehabi community, where two Yanomami died,” Hekurar said in a video released by G1. According to him, the residents of the attacked community are against mining. “That’s why the miners gave 80 weapons to the Tirei community, encouraging conflict.”
Also on Monday, the MPF (Federal Public Ministry) issued a request to the Federal Court to force the Union to resume protection actions and police operations against illegal mining in the Yanomami Indigenous Land.
The request is based on complaints of crimes against indigenous people and threats to the health and existence of communities. During a visit to Serra das Surucucus, in Roraima, the Federal Public Ministry found that the entire region was occupied by illegal miners, who use the Indigenous Health Secretariat’s landing strips as logistical support for dozens of aircraft and helicopters.
“Isolated from contact with society, indigenous communities are increasingly close to mining and cannot enjoy their traditional habitat, which has already been completely degraded by deforestation and river pollution”, says the MPF.
According to prosecutors, operations carried out last year by the federal government were not enough to contain the advance of illegal mining, and urgent actions must be taken to repress socio-environmental crimes that occur in the region.
For the MPF, what is happening in the Yanomami Indigenous Land is a humanitarian tragedy and there is a risk of the region’s traditional population being decimated because of the large number of miners who illegally occupy the territory and the way in which the activity is structured.
YANOMAMI UNDER ATTACK
The report “Yanomami Under Attack: Illegal mining in the Yanomai Indigenous Land and proposals to combat it”, released this Monday by the Hutukara Associação Yanomami, denounces criminal attacks against indigenous communities.
According to the document, in 2021, illegal mining increased by 46% compared to 2020. Between 2016 and 2020, mining grew by 3,350% in the Yanomami Indigenous Land.
The report reveals that there are currently 273 communities and 16,000 people directly affected by illegal mining. This means that 56% of the population of the indigenous land suffers the consequences of this irregular practice. Twenty-nine thousand people live in around 350 communities in the region.
Among the consequences of the illegal extraction of gold and cassiterite is the explosion of cases of diseases such as malaria, in addition to cases of violence such as what happened this Monday.
The document also highlights the deforestation of the forest, the pollution of rivers and the formation of craters.
“The government needs to evaluate its actions, as many operations to combat mining have not had an effect,” said Dario Kopenawa, vice president of the Hutukara Yanomami Association. “My people are suffering. We ask for the support of the population to join our cry for help for the immediate withdrawal of the miners from our territory”.
