Delegation visits TI Yanomami and talks about government actions there

One year after the federal government declared a public health emergency in the Yanomami Indigenous Land and launched operations to expel illegal miners and provide health care to the community, a delegation of ministers returned to Roraima to monitor the situation.

The group, which arrived in the region on Wednesday (10 January 2024), is made up of ministers Silvio Almeida (Human Rights and Citizenship), Marina Silva (Environment and Climate Change) and Sonia Guajajara (Indigenous Peoples). They disembarked in Boa Vista and then continued to the Auaris region, which is within the demarcated territory.

In the location, close to the border between Brazil and Venezuela, the ministers checked the conditions at the Ye'kwana health post, where new facilities are being built to receive patients, as well as laboratories and accommodation for health professionals. They then visited the village of the same people, where, last year, a federal government action provided new tools for the creation of gardens that facilitate the Yanomami's food autonomy.

The visit was accompanied by the president of Funai (National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples), Joênia Wapichana, by the special secretary for indigenous health at the Ministry of Health, Weibe Tapeba, as well as local indigenous leaders.

The visit takes place one day after Palácio do Planalto announced an investment of R$1.2 billion for the year 2024 in government actions in the territory. The idea is to permanently implement a Government House to concentrate the permanent work of federal bodies on security and access to public policies for indigenous people.

During a meeting on Tuesday (January 9), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) determined the continuity and expansion of actions, as the presence of invaders continues to be detected by the government. The president defended the use of all the power of the public sector against illegal mining.

In an interview with journalists on Wednesday (10 January), the ministers spoke about the permanent nature of the actions that will be taken for the benefit of the Yanomami.

“Let's continue together, fighting to remove miners from Yanomami territory and other indigenous areas that still have invaders. We will have this front active, permanent and continued with the commitment of these ministries that work together in a transversal way, as is also the orientation of President Lula himself so that we can protect indigenous peoples”, declared Sonia Guajajara.

“In addition to the bases we already have, we will have 3 more permanent bases that will be set up to support the actions of Funai, Ibama [Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis], healthcare personnel. This is work that President Lula determined to be an occupation of the territory in terms of security, by the Ministry of Defense, through the Armed Forces and the Federal Police”, said Marina Silva.

Minister Silvio Almeida highlighted that, while the Yanomami are at risk, the entire Brazilian people will be at risk. “If we are not able to defend indigenous peoples, we will not be able to defend our country”, he stated.

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HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

A year ago, the humanitarian crisis in the Yanomami Indigenous Land, the largest in the country, with almost 30,000 indigenous inhabitants, came to light. It comprises 9.5 million hectares, which approximately corresponds to the area of ​​the States of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo combined. The Yanomami are one of the largest recently contacted indigenous peoples in South America, living in the forests and mountains of northern Brazil and southern Venezuela for at least 1,000 years.

Soon after taking office, still in January 2023, Lula visited Roraima and saw up close the health situation of indigenous people, victims of malnutrition and other diseases, especially malaria. A vast territory rich in minerals, the Indigenous Land has suffered for decades from the invasion and violence of miners and from the contamination of land and water by mercury used in illegal mining.

Although indigenous entities and bodies such as the MPF (Federal Public Ministry) have been denouncing the lack of assistance to these communities for a long time, the situation worsened from 2019 to 2023, resulting in the deaths of 3,500 children up to 4 years of age. The images circulated the world and caused an international commotion, mobilizing the authorities.

According to the MPF, the withdrawal of the miners was determined by the courts in a public civil action filed against federal agencies in 2020. The objective was to guarantee the implementation of an emergency plan for effective territorial monitoring actions in indigenous land, with the fight against illicit activities. environmental issues and the removal of offenders. “However, efforts undertaken by federal agencies to date have proven ineffective.”, said the agency.

ILLEGAL MINING

On December 21, 2023, the Federal Court of Roraima determined the creation of a new schedule of actions against illegal mining in the Yanomami Indigenous Land. In the decision, the Union, Funai, Ibama and ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation) are cited.

The decision responded to a request from the MPF. According to the agency, despite the “promising results” of the government operations carried out in the territory, at the beginning of 2023, they were unable to prevent the reoccupation of areas by mining, “which affects the safety, health and lives of indigenous peoples”. Such actions, according to the agency, caused positive results until the beginning of the 2nd semester, when there was a setback due to the return of non-indigenous people to illicit mineral exploration activities, especially in areas that had already been deforested.

“There are several reports of grooming, prostitution, encouragement of drug and alcohol consumption and even rape of indigenous people by miners.”, said the Public Ministry.

BALANCE

On December 22, President Lula called a ministerial meeting and ordered federal agencies to reinforce protection measures for the Yanomami indigenous people, in addition to combating illegal mining in Roraima and Amazonas.

In assessing the actions carried out last year, the government cited measures to combat the serious health and nutritional situation of the population and environmental crimes.

The Federal Police launched 13 operations, 114 search and seizure warrants, 175 arrests in the act and seized assets worth R$589 million. There are still 387 investigations underway. In addition, control of the airspace of the Yanomami Indigenous Land was carried out to combat clandestine flights and supplies to mining sites, the destruction of equipment such as ferries, engines and camps and the seizure of aircraft and firearms.

With information from Brazil Agency and from Secom of the Presidency of the Republic.