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On 20 January, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples announced that 99 children of the Yanomami people had died due to the advance of illegal mining in the region. The data refer to 2022, and the victims were children between one and four years old. The causes of death are mostly malnutrition, pneumonia, and diarrhea.
Great Impacts
However, the impact could be even greater, as the ministry estimates that at least 570 children were killed by mercury contamination, malnutrition and hunger.
State of Public Calamity
With the health chaos, the Federal government must declare a state of public calamity – the Ministry of Health has already declared a public health emergency.
Malaria
In addition, in 2022, 11,530 cases of malaria were confirmed in the Yanomami Special Indigenous Health District, in Rondônia state.
Large Territory
The Yanomami reserve has more than 370 villages and almost 10 million hectares that extend across Roraima, the border with Venezuela and the Amazon. In all, there are 28,000 indigenous people who live geographically isolated in communities that are difficult to access, but which, for the most part, have already suffered some intervention from outside, with the occupation of non-indigenous people, such as gold miners – estimated at 20,000.
Besides Mining, Corruption
Fraud in the purchase of medicines destined for the Yanomami Special Indigenous Health District also helped to increase the crisis. The criminal scheme left at least 10,000 indigenous children without medication. The company hired for the service delivered less than 30% of the total acquired. The embezzlement of public resources moved R$ 600,000.
Our analysis:
The crisis is likely an example of the many conflicts seen in the countryside of Brazil regularly. Normally, they are connected to the expansion of illegal activities that explore the land itself, minerals, wood, and other natural resources. Depending on the government in power, preservationist or non-preservationist policies may be enforced. When politicians from the first group are in charge, institutions responsible for protecting the reserves receive resources and are encouraged to carry out operations. Though, when the second group comes to power, the opposite movement occurs. However, despite this political seasonality, the problems around the illegal exploration of land in Brazil never cease to exist completely. The vast territory, few resources available for the law enforcement organisms, corruption, lobby, jobs generated, and other factors come into play to make this a constant problem.
