Environment minister: Mining sites still found on Yanomami lands

Satellite surveillance can still detect illegal mining activity in the Yanomami indigenous territory, even though most mining sites have been deactivated, said Brazil’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change Marina Silva.

Minister Silva flew to Roraima state, North Brazil, on Monday (May 1) with an entourage including Health Minister Nísia Trindades and Minister of the Indigenous Peoples Sônia Guajajara.

“During the flight, we had a chance to see there are several mines that have been deactivated and abandoned, but some are still active as per satellite data and from what we were able to observe. These will also be deactivated,” Marina Silva said in an interview following the visit. The trip was ordered by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, two days after an attack by miners left one indigenous person dead and two injured.

The indigenous man who died, Ilson Xirixana, worked as a health agent. According to the minister, 75–80 percent of the miners who occupied the region have left.

Conflict resolution

Minister of Indigenous Peoples Sônia Guajajara said the government is working to remove invaders from the Yanomami territory without violence.

“We’re trying our best so that everything happens as peacefully as possible. We are in no way encouraging this conflict. We want no bloodshed. That’s why we’re coming here once again to make the Brazilian state present and reinforce liberation efforts within the Yanomami territory,” she declared.