Brazil: Lula da Silva Vows Revoking Jair Bolsonaro's Measures Among Indigenous Tribes If He Wins as President
Brazil's former President Lula da Silva on Tuesday made a promise to the country's Indigenous tribes, claiming that he would stop the measures enacted by President Jair Bolsonaro if he becomes president.
According to Reuters, Lula promised the tribes to stop illegal mining on their reservations and recognize their land claims if he is mounted in the office.
Lula made his comments when he visited a protest camp located in Brasilia, where several thousand members of 200 tribes gathered to oppose the plans of Bolsonaro in promoting commercial agriculture, as well as mining and oil exploration in the Indigenous lands.
"We can't allow everything you've fought for to be taken from you by decree and handed over to those who want to kill our forests and wildlife," Lula said, per France 24.
Da SIlva said that a revocation day will be held in Brazil if he becomes president, adding that the move will immediately revoke the measures Bolsonaro decreed to hinder the Indigenous rights.
The former president of Brazil also mentioned that he would also establish the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs should he be mounted as the country's president in October. He added that an individual from the Indigenous tribes will be the head of the said ministry, assuring that white people like him will not take the lead.
Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro on Indigenous Reservations
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro was placed under fire for pushing the legalization of mining among Indigenous reservations, including the ones located in the Amazon Rainforest.
The president was also accused by Indigenous leaders to force Indigenous people out of their lands, by promoting environmental destruction and further allowing the deforestation of the Amazon.
Despite the criticism, Bolsonaro was awarded by the country's Justice Ministry with a "medal of Indigenous merit," a move that was slammed by Indigenous groups and several agencies, including the Congressional Environmental Front.
Brazil Indigenous Land Sees Surge in Illegal Mining, Abuse
Lula da Silva made his promise a day after a report showed that one Brazilian Indigenous land, has seen a surge in illegal mining, as well as abuse among the tribes, per Al Jazeera.
The report, published by Hutukara Yanomami Association (HAY) on Monday, revealed that the wildcat gold mining increased the scarring of Yanomami Reservation by 46 percent in 2021. The said percentage equates to at least 3,272 hectares.
"This is the worst moment of invasion since the reservation was established 30 years ago," HAY said in their report. The latest number is also known to be the biggest annual increase since the monitoring began in 2018.
HAY also mentioned in their report that diseases, like malaria, also surfaced in the community as deforesting their lands destroyed their water source.
The report also stressed that Yanomami, one of Amazon's iconic Indigenous groups, also claimed abuses done among their women girls.
The group further noted that miners often demanded sex in exchange for food. There was even a case where a miner allegedly demanded an arranged marriage with an adolescent girl in exchange for merchandise that was never delivered to the group.
The Yanomami reservation is known to be 9.7 million hectares wide located in Northern Brazil. The said reserve houses around 29,0000 inhabitants, including the Yanomami, Ye'kwana, and six isolated groups who have no contact with the outside world.
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Written By: Joshua Summers
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