Video shows illegal gold miners attacking indigenous village in Brazil
Issued on: 19/05/2021 - 16:32
Modified: 20/05/2021 - 10:11
Screengrab taken from a video showing illegal miners attacking an indigenous Yanomami village in northern Brazil on May 10, 2021. © Observers
Text by:
Maëva Poulet
7 min
A group of illegal gold miners fired shots at an indigenous village in Roraima state in northern Brazil on May 10. A video of the attack, filmed by members of the Yanomami community who live there, is proof of what the Yanomami have been saying for years, that there has been a sharp increase in violence across their territory since the arrival of close to 20,000 illegal gold miners. With clashes continuing throughout the week, local organisations are calling for an increase in security forces.
Locals filmed the video on May 10 in the village Palimiú, which is part of the Alto Alegre municipality, located in the northern part of Roraima state. The video shows a motor boat driving past a village located on the banks of the Uraricoera River. Several shots ring out and a number of people, including children, run to seek shelter.
The next day, a team from the federal police were sent to Palimiú to investigate these clashes and the possible presence of criminal groups among the gold miners operating illegally in the Yanomami territory. During this intervention, there was an exchange of gunfire between police and miners, according to investigative media outlet Amazonia Real.
'There is a massive invasion of illegal miners into Yanomami territory'
Since 2019, nearly 20,000 gold miners have illegally entered and begun operating within Yanomami territory. Social media posts by local indigenous rights organisations denounce the invasion and highlight the environmental damage: Mining pollutes the soil and waterways with toxic compounds like mercury, which is used to separate gold from rock. In 2020, these groups launched a mass campaign calling for the miners to be removed from Yanomami territory.
More:
https://observers.france24.com/en/americas/20210520-video-illegal-gold-miners-attack-indigenous-village-brazil
