Encampment Reappears in Roraima State’s Indigenous Reserve Despite Recent Government Shutdown Efforts
In the mountains of Brazil’s Amazon, a sprawling illegal mining camp has resurfaced in Roraima state, where gold prospecting is prohibited by law. Located in an Indigenous reserve on the sacred Serra do Atola mountain, this makeshift settlement is populated by miners working under plastic tarpaulins, excavating rocky pits and collecting ore to extract gold.
Despite a government crackdown earlier this year, the site, visited recently by the Associated Press alongside leaders from nearby Macuxi communities, is again in full operation. These Indigenous leaders from the villages of Maturuca and Waromada are calling attention to the disregard for both environmental regulations and sacred Indigenous lands, as mining continues to endanger their communities and local biodiversity.