Increased efforts to protect Indigenous peoples from gold miners in Brazil

In early January, the indigenous Urihi Yanomami Association (UYA) reported the death of two Yanomami men. They were killed in the Alto Catrimani region of Roraima, Brazil, on Yanomami land. After consulting with indigenous people in the area, the UYA announced that the men had lost their lives after an attack by gold miners.

Alto Catrimani is one of the regions hardest hit by illegal mining. A report released in 2022 by Rainforest Foundation Norway's partner organisation, Hutukara, showed that this area had the largest concentrations of camps and support structures for mining, such as bars, grocery stores and brothels.

Increased level of conflict between Indigenous peoples and gold miners

The deaths and violence are part of a decade-long conflict between Indigenous peoples and gold miners in the Yanomami indigenous area, which is Brazil's largest. The situation deteriorated dramatically under Brazil's previous president Jair Bolsonaro's leadership.

One of the first measures the new Lula-administration took was to crack down on illegal mining activities in the Yanomami territory. The crackdown on illegal activity has initially led to increased levels of conflict, with many of the invaders eventually returning to the territory.

"These deaths are a tragic result of the increased level of conflict we have seen in the Brazilian rainforest over the past year. Unfortunately, the operations against the gold miners often result in the gold miners only temporarily relocating and returning after attention has died down - or finding new areas in which to carry out their destructive activities. More long-term and structured efforts and changes in legislation are needed to solve the problem," says Ellen Hestnes Ribeiro, head of the Brazil program at Rainforest Foundation Norway.

New efforts for permanent protection of the Yanomami

This week, the Brazilian government announced a new permanent effort to protect the Yanomami from gold miners. The initiative has a price tag of over 1 billion Brazilian real (BRL), equivalent to 204 million US dollars. Ministers Marina Silva, Sonia Guajajara and Silvio Almeida were received on Wednesday by Davi Yanomami and other leaders of the Yanomami and Yekwana people when the proposal was presented.

"This is a major and important initiative that we hope will make a significant and immediate difference for the Yanomami. The attacks have been going on for so long, and it is very good to see that Brazil is now fulfilling its human rights obligations and taking measures to protect its own population from systematic violent attacks", says Ribeiro.

Rainforest Foundation Norway has supported the Yanomami people for over 30 years. See the facts box below for more details.

At the end of December 2023, the Environmental Committee in the Brazilian Senate passed a bill banning gold mining in indigenous territories and protected areas.

"It is urgent to put in place a stronger legal framework that protects people and territories and establishes transparency in the gold value chain in Brazil. We hope that the government also succeeds in getting the opposition to adopt these proposals, proposals that can lead to lasting positive change," says Ellen Hestnes Ribeiro, head of the Brazil program at Rainforest Foundation Norway.