Yanomami humanitarian crisis
During the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro (2019–2023), a series of mass deaths, famine, forced displacements and other major human rights violations took place in the Brazilian Yanomami Indigenous Territory.
[1][2][3] Such events reportedly started or were aggravated from 2019 on as a consequence of rampant exploitation of natural resources by individuals and companies with state approval, and have been frequently said to constitute a genocide against the Yanomami people.
[7][8][9] In January 2023, following the end of Bolsonaro's administration due to his defeat in the 2022 Brazilian general elections, new government officials appointed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office and immediately were briefed about an escalation of the Yanomami crisis.
[14] A network of politicians, local public servants, farmers, business people and companies was organized to illegally exploit gold and cassiterite as well as to launder the criminal activities in the Yanomami territory.
According to indigenous leaders in the Yanomami territory the NGO has not worked in the region since it started receiving Bolsonaro administration earmarks, raising suspicions of widespread corruption.
As of September 2022, however, only 3 schools in the region had been covered by the Starlink's internet service, while its equipment had been traded among illegal miners since November 2022, with the first Yanomami community only receiving it in late January 2023.
[34] On January 24 a field hospital run by the federal government started being set up by the Brazilian military in Roraima's capital Boa Vista and opened three days later.
[37][38] On January 18, Brazilian leading medical institute Fiocruz warned government officials that a batch of the malaria drug ASMQ meant to Yanomami patients went missing and was reportedly diverted to illegal miners who have since sold it.
The association also cited reports that Brazilian General Prosecutor Augusto Aras, who is the only authority in Brazil legally allowed to open criminal proceedings against a president and was appointed by Bolsonaro, has been failing to investigate him and his government handling of the crisis.
[45][46][47] On February 8, Brazilian environment agency Ibama launched a massive operation to retake the Yanomami reservation from criminals which included seizing guns, boats and fuel, and destroying mining equipment, a helicopter and a jet.
[15] On February 15, a joint police, prosecutors and Federal Revenue of Brazil auditors task force had R$2 billion (US$371.06 million) frozen from suspects of operating an international smuggling ring that sent some 13 tonnes of illegally-mined gold into Italy, Switzerland, China and the United Arab Emirates.
[citation needed] The federal police's operations destroyed 250 miner camps (many already deserted) and 70 dredging rafts, as well as seized about 4,500 litres (1,200 US gal) of fuel and 1.2 kilograms (2.6 lb) of gold.
They would be paid via transactions with legal mining companies who laundered illegally-extracted gold ore.[52] After a blockade of fuel and food supplies feeding the criminal organizations and a no-fly zone were announced a significant number of illegal miners reportedly gave up on flying and started escaping security forces by land, with some groups trying to cross the border into Venezuela and relatively distant Guyana.
