Prospectors Invade Yanomami Land and Brazil Says It Has No Manpower to Remove Them

The presence of prospectors on Yanomami Indian lands in Brazil is an old problem. Over the last two months, with an increase in the number of prospectors, it has been getting worse.

According to the coordinator general of the Brazilian NGO, Cooperation Service for the Yanomami People (Secoya), Silvio Cavuscens, "Some of the prospectors are getting close to Indian villages and confronting the Yanomami. They bring disease and harm the environment. Brazilian government health agents have left the area because they are afraid of what might happen."

The Yanomami reserve area, in the states of Roraima and Amazonas, on the border of Brazil with Venezuela, was officially established in 1992. Some 12,000 Indians live there.

"In 1993, there were some 10,000 prospectors in the region and a serious conflict resulting in the deaths of 16 Yanomami occurred in a place called Haximu. The incident got international attention and the government cracked down on the prospectors and removed them (5 prospectors were sentenced for the deaths of the Indians at Haximu). Unfortunately, the prospectors have returned," explains Cavuscens.

Under Brazilian law, the state owns the land in indigenous reserve areas and the Indians have exclusive rights to use it. Thus, the problem is a federal problem and the Federal Police should remove the prospectors. There are reports that the police say they do not have the men to do the job.

Agência Brasil

Tags:

You May Also Like

Without Justice’s Support Brazil Asks Foreign Help to Punish Dictatorship’s Crime

The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said it was "worthwhile" to ...

Brazilian Bishop Decides to Starve to Death Over River Transposition

With the aim of stopping the São Francisco River transposition project, the Catholic bishop ...

We’ve never won so many medals

Atlanta has revealed to the world and to Brazilians themselves an unknown Brazil which ...

Dengue Drops 69% in Brazil

Cases of dengue fever, transmitted by the aedes aegypti mosquito, dropped 69% last year ...

3% Fewer Brazilian Women Call Themselves Black

White women form the majority of female heads of households in Brazil. This finding ...

China Wants to Build a Railway Through Brazil Linking the Atlantic to the Pacific

China expanded its trade partnership with Brazil with US$ 7.5 billion dollars in financing ...

Workplace Accidents in Healthcare Rampant in Brazil

Out of a total of 390,000 workplace accidents registered in 2003, the sector where ...

Brazil’s Poultry Exports Grow 44% Thanks to Asia and Middle East

Brazilian poultry exports yielded US$ 2.6 billion last year, which represented an increase of ...

Rio Gangs Get Heavy Weapons Through 17 Holes in Brazil’s Borders

Illegal weapons are brought to Rio through 17 places according to a report by the Brazilian ...

One Year Later, No Word on Brazilian Kidnapped in Iraq

It has now been a year since Brazilian engineer João José Vasconcellos Júnior was ...