Military x mining – 06/25/2023 – Opinion

After four years of threats to indigenous peoples under Jair Bolsonaro (PL), the numbers show that illegal mining activity in the Yanomami Indigenous Land almost tripled in 2022 compared to 2020, when monitoring by the Federal Police began.

In 2020, the mining area occupied 14 km²; two years later, it reached 41.83 km², a jump of 199%.

Reversing the humanitarian and land crisis that took place in the Yanomami indigenous lands will not be easy. The main challenges for the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) are to reverse the growth of illegal extractive activity and prevent tensions in the region from becoming heightened.

The first task, so far at least, has been accomplished. Since the beginning of this 2023, the last alert for new mining in satellite images was recorded on May 6 — revealing a possible result of the operation against illegal mining that began in February of this year.

In January, a public health emergency was declared in the territory, with an explosion in cases of malaria and malnutrition.

In February, an inter-institutional operation was implemented combining the PF, the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), the Indigenous Peoples Foundation (Funai), the National Force, the Federal Highway Police and the military.

Last Thursday (22), a federal decree was announced that provides for the expansion of the Army’s activities, previously focused on intelligence and logistics actions. The norm now releases military personnel to directly combat the actions of prospectors.

The measure, however, requires caution. The aggravation of the situation of insecurity in the place must be avoided. The police, in particular the federal ones, and the National Force have better training to combat criminal organizations that command illegal mining.

Involving the Army directly, beyond the necessary logistical support, can be risky.

To face the seriousness of the situation, it is necessary to consider the way in which mining has adapted to escape inspection —by focusing on night work and setting up camps inside the forest.

This new scenario requires strategic intelligence and more teams from the police and the National Force acting continuously, together with specialized agencies. It is up to the Army to allow this work to take place, through logistical support, not to lead it.

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