December 12, 2022
16:12
Marcela Leiros – The Amazon Agency
MANAUS – The lack of effective action by the federal government is causing the genocide of indigenous people in the largest demarcated territory in the country, the Indigenous Land (TI) Yanomami, in Roraima (RR), which suffers from the invasion of illegal mining. The statement is from the Urihi Associação Yanomami, which constantly denounces the actions of criminals in its social networks.
Last week, photos of children and adults in a situation of severe malnutrition again drew attention to the drama experienced in the region.
“In addition to the lack of monitoring by the National Indian Foundation (Funai) and the budget cut in Indigenous Health, there is a real humanitarian crisis underway in TIY. We are witnessing the genocide of the people who protect the forest, without any effective action by the federal government“, denounced the president of the Association, Júnior Hekurari, when he launched a campaign to raise money for the purchase of medicines.
On the last day 3, Urihi released images of children and adults extremely thin and with apparent ribs in the Kataroa community, Surucucu Region, Alto Alegre municipality, in the North of the State. The association denounced that the children are also suffering from infectious diseases.
“The aggravation of the mining invasion, infectious diseases, and the disassistance of the Dsei [Special Indigenous Sanitary District] increase the insecurity of the population, resulting in catastrophic levels of malnutrition”, Urihi said.
Malnutrition
Malnutrition, like malaria, is a major public health issue in the Yanomami territory and is directly linked to mining activity. The Hutukara Associação Yanomami (HAY) estimates that there are 20,000 miners illegally exploiting the largest reserve in the country, which, at over 10 million hectares, covers the states of Amazonas and Roraima. There are over 28,100 indigenous people living in the region, including the isolated ones, in 371 communities.
A HAY report showed that mining in the territory grew 46% by 2021, and more than half of the Yanomami (56%) are directly impacted by the illegal activity. In an interview with Fantástico on Sunday, 11, Hekurari recalled that mining causes the destruction of the natural habitat of animals and contaminates rivers. This generates food shortages for the indigenous people and even the infection of diseases.
“They [the indigenous people] are taking dirty water, contaminated water. So the Yanomami population is sick, the children are malnourished, with worms, because they are drinking water with mud, petrol, mercury. And also with the noise of the engines, animals, the hunts, have moved away, and fish, like shrimp, have died from the petrol contamination”, he explained.
Destruction of health units
According to the Urihi Associação Yanomami, miners also destroyed the Basic Health Unit (UBS) in the Homoxi region as a form of retaliation against the operation “Guardians of the Biome”, of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), with support from the Federal Police, which is fighting illegal mining and other environmental crimes in the territory.
The operation burned the machinery such as excavators and aircraft used in the illegal activity and identified the opening of a clandestine road 150 kilometres long inside the indigenous land. The road facilitates access for bulldozers to the Amazon rainforest.
“Ibama, together with the Federal Police, destroyed the helicopters that were there near the Homoxi basic health unit. The diggers were angry because they burned the helicopter, they burned machinery, and they burned the basic health unit”, Hekurari told AMAZON AGENCY.
Diversion of medicines
In addition to the invasion of the mining operation, there is also suspicion of fraud in the health care of indigenous people, according to investigations of the “Operation “Yoasi”, launched by the Federal Police and the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) at the end of November. The criminal scheme left at least 10,000 indigenous children without medicine, the investigations indicated.
Ten search and seizure warrants were served in Boa Vista (RR). Among the targets were the two former coordinators of the Dsei Yanomami Romulo Pinheiro and Ramses Almeida da Silva, the pharmacist Claudia Winch Ceolin, the aide to Ramses, Candido José de Lira Barbosa, and businessman Roger Henrique Pimentel, owner of the company Balme Empreendimentos LTDA. All investigated for participation in the scheme.
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