Image copyright AFP Image caption The Wajãpi indigenous community live in a remote area in northern Brazil

Heavily armed gold miners have invaded a remote indigenous reserve in northern Brazil and stabbed to death one of its leaders, officials say.

Residents of the village in Amapá state fled in fear and there were concerns violent clashes could erupt if they tried to reclaim the gold-rich land.

Police have arrived in the area.

Tensions in the Amazon region are on the rise as far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who is against the reserves, vows to open some of them to mining.

Mr Bolsonaro says the indigenous territories are too big given the number of people living there, and critics accuse him of encouraging illegal mining and invasions of reserves.

The group of 10 to 15 heavily armed miners overran the village Yvytotõ of the Wajãpi community and "tensions were high", according to Brazil's indigenous rights agency, Funai.

The residents fled to the Mariry village, some 40 minutes away by foot, and have been warned not to try to come into any contact with the invaders.

Based on accounts from the Wajãpi, Funai said the miners had killed 68-year-old Emyra Wajãpi, whose body was found with stab marks in a river near Mariry on Wednesday. It said, though, it had not been to the crime scene because of the difficulty of access.

Despite the rising tensions, killings of indigenous leaders in Brazil are rare.

The incident appears to confirm the worst fears for the fate of Brazil's protected indigenous territories, the BBC's Julia Carneiro in Rio reports.

Federal police and an elite force arrived in the area on Sunday, and both the federal police and the federal prosecutors' office said they will investigate the events, reported by a local leader on Saturday.

"This is the first violent invasion in 30 years since the demarcation of the indigenous reserves in Amapá," Senator Rodolfe Rodrigues told local newspaper Diário do Amapá (in Portuguese), warning of a "blood bath".

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau are among groups that say Brazil's president wants to allow deforestation in protected areas

The 1,200 members of the Wajãpi community live in dozens of villages in a 600,000-hectare reserve in Amapá, next to French Guiana.

Speaking earlier on Saturday, Mr Bolsonaro said some of the indigenous territories were on "very rich [mineral] land" and that he was "looking for the 'first world' to explore these areas in partnership and add value," according to O Globo newspaper (in Portuguese).

"That's the reason for my decision to get closer to the US. That's why I want a person of trust in the embassy in the US," said Mr Bolsonaro, who wants to appoint his own congressman son, Eduardo, as ambassador.

He has not commented on the events in Amapá.

Mr Bolsonaro, who took office in January, has promised to integrate indigenous people into the rest of the population and questioned the existence of their protected territories, which are rights guaranteed in the country's Constitution.

The president has also criticised the environmental protection agency, Ibama, and accused the national space institute, Inpe, of lying about the scale of deforestation in the Amazon.

Activists say the relaxation of the protections could lead to greater deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and threaten the existence of indigenous people. </s> Dozens of armed miners have invaded a remote indigenous reserve in northern Brazil and stabbed to death at least one of its leaders, officials say.

Residents of a village in Amapá state fled in fear but a community leader said they could try to reclaim it, warning of the risk of violent clashes.

Police have been sent to the area.

Tensions in the Amazon region are on the rise as far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has vowed to open some of the protected areas to mining.

Mr Bolsonaro says the indigenous territories are too big given the number of people living there. Critics accuse him of encouraging illegal mining and invasions of reserves.
• 'We fight for the right to exist'
• Is the Amazon facing new dangers?

On Saturday, Jawaruwa Wajãpi, a leader of the Wajãpi community, said the miners had occupied the Mariry village. He pleaded with the federal government to send in the army.

"[The miners] are armed with rifles and other weapons. We're in danger," he said in a voice message sent to Rodolfe Rodrigues, one of the state's senators. "There's risk of [more] deaths and conflict because I think the Wajãpi will act soon."

Mr Rodrigues, whose party opposes the Bolsonaro government, said 50 miners had invaded the reserve, and that the situation was "very serious".

"This [would be] the first violent invasion in 30 years since the demarcation of the indigenous reserves in Amapá," he told local newspaper Diário do Amapá, saying a "blood bath" could happen (in Portuguese).

Despite the rising tensions, killings of indigenous leaders are rare. The assassinated indigenous leader has been identified as Emyra Wajãpi, whose body was found with stab marks in a river near Mariry on Wednesday.

On Saturday night, Brazil's indigenous rights agency, Funai, said the federal police and an elite force had been sent to the area to investigate. It confirmed that one person had been killed, but said the details were not yet clear.

The 1,200 members of the Wajãpi community live in dozens of villages in a 600,000-hectare reserve in Amapá, next to the French Guiana.

Speaking earlier on Saturday, Mr Bolsonaro said some of the indigenous territories were on "very rich [mineral] land" and that he was "looking for the 'first world' to explore these areas in partnership and add value," according to O Globo newspaper (in Portuguese).

"That's the reason for my decision to get closer to the US. That's why I want a person of trust in the embassy in the US," said Mr Bolsonaro, who wants to appoint his own congressman son, Eduardo, as ambassador.

He has not commented on the events in Amapá.

Mr Bolsonaro, who took office in January, has promised to integrate indigenous people into the rest of the population and questioned the existence of their protected territories.

He has already transferred the creation and limitation of reserves from Funai to the agriculture ministry, a controversial decision that was seen as a victory for the powerful agribusiness sector.

The president has also criticised the environmental protection agency, Ibama, and accused the national space institute, Inpe, of lying about the scale of deforestation in the Amazon.

Activists say the relaxation of the protections could lead to greater deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and threaten the existence of indigenous people. </s> Around 50 gold miners have invaded a remote indigenous reserve in the Brazilian Amazon, taking over a village after a local leader was stabbed to death.

Dozens of gold miners – known as ‘garimpeiros’ – were sighted mere days after the murder of community leader Emyra Waiãpi, whose body was found close to the the village of Mariry on Wednesday, July 24.

Local politicians and indigenous leaders reported gold miners invaded on Saturday, July 27, causing the traditional community to flee from the 600,000-hectare Waiãpi indigenous reserve in fear. They headed over to the larger village of Aramirã, where shots were fired on the same day.

As reported by The Guardian, both Indigenous leaders and local politicians are now fearful of a potential bloodbath, calling upon police officers for urgent assistance.

Tribe member Kureni Waiãpi, 26 – who lives in the nearby town of Pedra Branca do Amapari – told The Guardian:

The garimpeiros invaded the indigenous village and are there until today. They are heavily armed, they have machine guns. That is why we asking for help from the federal police, If nothing is done they will start to fight.

On Saturday July 27, Amapá state senator Randolfe Rodrigues raised the alarm about this crisis after receiving requests for immediate police and army assistance from local councillor and leader Jawaruwa Waiãpi.

I want to thank the director general of the Federal Police, Ranucci Júnior, for attending to our requests and relocating a PF contingent to the land of the Waijãpis, invaded by prospectors at dawn in Amapá. The situation is very serious! We are attentive to the defence of indigenous peoples.

On the very same day the indigenous community fled from their village, President Jair Bolsonaro publicly defended the exploitation of minerals in indigenous areas, as reported by O Globo.

Speaking at the graduation of 26th Parachute Infantry Battalion skydiving recruits in the West Zone of Rio, the divisive president made the following remarks:

Bolsonaro has repeatedly criticised the indigenous communities of Brazil, and has also taken aim at those trying to preserve the Amazon.

As reported by The Guardian, a spokesperson from Brazil’s indigenous agency FUNAI said Federal and Amapá police were heading to the area where the crisis is unfolding:

The state government of Amapá has reportedly sent an elite police troop to accompany officers who are heading over to the remote area.

If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via [email protected] </s> BRASILIA – Heavily armed gold miners have invaded a remote indigenous reserve in northern Brazil and stabbed to death one of its leaders, officials say.

Residents of the village in Amapá state fled in fear and there were concerns violent clashes could erupt if they tried to reclaim the gold-rich land. Police have arrived in the area.

Tensions in the Amazon region are on the rise as President Jair Bolsonaro, who is against the reserves, vows to open some of them to mining.

Mr Bolsonaro says the indigenous territories are too big given the number of people living there, and critics accuse him of encouraging illegal mining and invasions of reserves.

The group of 10 to 15 heavily armed miners overran the village Yvytotõ of the Wajãpi community and “tensions were high”, according to Brazil’s indigenous rights agency, Funai.

The residents fled to the Mariry village, some 40 minutes away by foot, and have been warned not to try to come into any contact with the invaders.

Based on accounts from the Wajãpi, Funai said the miners had killed 68-year-old Emyra Wajãpi, whose body was found with stab marks in a river near Mariry on Wednesday. It said, though, it had not been to the crime scene because of the difficulty of access.

Despite the rising tensions, killings of indigenous leaders in Brazil are rare.

The incident appears to confirm the worst fears for the fate of Brazil’s protected indigenous territories. Federal police and an elite force arrived in the area on Sunday, and both the federal police and the federal prosecutors’ office said they will investigate the events, reported by a local leader on Saturday.

“This is the first violent invasion in 30 years” since the demarcation of the indigenous reserves in Amapá,” Senator Rodolfe Rodrigues told local newspaper Diário do Amapá (in Portuguese), warning of a “blood bath”.

The 1.200 members of the Wajapi community live in dozens of villages in a 600,000-hectare reserve in Amapá, next to French Guiana.

Speaking earlier on Saturday, Bolsonaro said some of the indigenous territories were on “very rich meneral land” and that he was “looking for the ‘first world’ to explore these areas in partnership and add value,” according to O Globo newspaper.

“That’s the reason for my decision to get closer to the US. That’s why I want a person of trust in the embassy in the US,” said Bolsonaro, who wants to appoint his own congressman son, Eduardo, as ambassador.–MercoPress </s> Rio de Janeiro [Brazil], July 29 (ANI): Several dozen heavily armed miners dressed in military fatigues invaded an indigenous village in remote northern Brazil this week and fatally stabbed at least one of the community's leaders, authorities have said.

The killing comes as miners and loggers are making increasingly bold and defiant incursions into protected areas, including indigenous territories, with the explicit encouragement of Brazil's far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, The New York Times reported.

Bolsonaro has said that the indigenous communities are in control of vast territories that should be opened up to industries to make them profitable.

Indigenous territories and communities have come under regular threats by miners and loggers due to land invasions that are on a rise across the South American country in recent months. Yet assassinations of indigenous leaders are a rare case.

Leaders of the Wajapi indigenous community made urgent pleas to the federal government on Saturday, warning that the conflict between the miners and members of their community who live in the remote villages in the northern state of Amapa risked turning into a blood bath.

"They are armed with rifles and other weapons," Jawaruwa Waiapi, a leader of the community, was quoted as saying in a voice message sent to one of the state's senators, referring to the miners.

"We are in danger. You need to send the army to stop them," he urged

However, the details over the killing are yet to be divulged.

Rodolfe Rodrigues, the senator, said on Saturday night (local time) that residents of the village that had been invaded had fled. Citing local accounts, he said there was a concern in the area that men from the tribe would return to the village to try to reclaim it.

"There is a significant risk that the conflict will escalate in the coming hours," Rodrigues said in a phone interview.

"The Indians are going to retaliate," he warned.

Rodrigues, who belongs to an opposition party, said Bolsonaro's views on indigenous territories and the rights of native communities had put the descendants of Brazil's original inhabitants in mortal danger.

"The president is responsible for this death," he said.

A representative for the president declined to comment on Saturday night.

Rodrigues identified the slain indigenous leader as Emyra Wajapi. He said the miners tossed his body in a river after stabbing him to death.

On Saturday night, an elite police force was en route to the area. The National Indian Foundation, a federal agency that was created to protect indigenous rights, said on Saturday that its personnel in the area were trying to ascertain the facts surrounding the killing.

The Wajapi, who have lived for centuries in the area that straddles northern Brazil and French Guiana, lived in isolation until the 1970s, when the Brazilian government built a road that made their areas accessible to miners and other outsiders.

Their territory was designated a protected area in 1996 as part of the process established by Brazil's 1988 Constitution. That charter, which was adopted after a 21-year period of military rule, set out to make amends for the brutality indigenous communities had endured since Europeans arrived on the continent in the 1400s. (ANI) </s> Brazilian authorities are investigating a possible incursion by illegal miners in an indigenous reserve in northern Brazil that may have resulted in the death of one man.

Officials of the National Indian Foundation arrived Sunday at the reserve where Wajapi people live in Amapa state, accompanied by police and Public Ministry officials.

A day earlier, indigenous leaders and politicians reported that a Wajapi village was attacked a week ago by about 50 armed people. The indigenous leaders said the attackers were people who mine illegally for precious metals.

Federal Police said they had confirmed a man died last Monday and officers are investigating to clarify the circumstances in which he died. The victim's identity was not released. </s> Dozens of gold miners have invaded a remote indigenous reserve in the Brazilian Amazon where a local leader was stabbed to death and have taken over a village after the community fled in fear, local politicians and indigenous leaders said. The authorities said police were on their way to investigate.

Illegal gold mining is at epidemic proportions in the Amazon and the heavily polluting activities of garimpeiros – as miners are called – devastate forests and poison rivers with mercury. About 50 garimpeiros were reported to have invaded the 600,000-hectare Waiãpi indigenous reserve in the state of Amapá on Saturday.

The men were spotted days after the murder of Emyra Waiãpi, a community leader, whose body was found near the village of Mariry early on Wednesday.

Indigenous people evacuated Mariry and fled to the bigger village of Aramir, where shots were fired on Saturday. Indigenous leaders and local politicians have called for urgent police help, fearing a bloodbath.

“The garimpeiros invaded the indigenous village and are there until today. They are heavily armed, they have machine guns. That is why we asking for help from the federal police,” said Kureni Waiãpi (26) a member of the tribe who lives in the nearest town of Pedra Branca do Amapari, two hours away and 189km from Amapá state capital Macapa. “If nothing is done they will start to fight.”

“We have a very tense situation,” said Beth Pelaes, mayor of Pedra Branca do Amapari, who said the tribe was very traditional and allowed only authorised visitors.

The crisis was revealed on Saturday by Randolfe Rodrigues, a senator for Amapá state, who received desperate audio messages pleading for police and army help from Jawaruwa Waiãpi, a local councillor and leader. Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso was among those who shared the tribe’s appeal for help on Saturday.

“I ask the Brazilian authorities for help, in the name of the dignity of Brazil in the world, hear this cry,” Veloso said in a video recorded in Mexico City, where he is on tour.

Kureni Waiãpi said Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro had encouraged invasions like this. “It is because he, the president, is threatening the indigenous peoples of Brazil,” he said.

Senator Rodrigues blamed Bolsonaro’s repeated promises to allow mining on protected indigenous reserves, where it is currently prohibited, for the first invasion of Waiãpi land in decades. In the 1970s, the tribe was almost wiped out by disease after their land was invaded by gold prospectors. In 2017, the then president Michel Temer moved to open the vast Renca reserve the tribe’s land falls within to mining but backed off after an international outcry.

“The Jair Bolsonaro government is encouraging this conflict, encouraging garimpeiros to enter. Their hands are dirty,” Senator Rodrigues said.

Recently Bolsonaro compared indigenous people living traditional lives on their reserves to “prehistoric men”. On Saturday he once again talked up the mineral riches in the Raposa Serra do Sol and Yanomami reserves – currently inundated with thousands of garimpeiros.

“I’m looking for the ‘first world’ to explore these areas in partnership and add value. That’s the reason for my approximation with the United States. That’s why I want a person of trust in the embassy in the USA,” Bolsonaro said on Saturday, according to the O Globo newspaper. His plans to appoint his congressman son, Eduardo, as Brazil’s US ambassador have caused an outcry in Brazil.

Kureni Waiãpi said the body of Emyra Waiãpi was found with stab wounds early on Wednesday morning in a river near his village of Mariry. On Friday, local man Arawyra Waiãpi and his wife spotted a group of men they believed to be garimpeiros at their plantation near the village. The community fled to the bigger village of Aramira. Shots were fired near Aramira around 6pm local time on Saturday but nobody was hurt. “I think the garimpeiros are shooting to scare the Waiãpi,” Kureni Waiãpi said.

Federal and Amap police were heading to the area, a spokeswoman from Brazil’s indigenous agency Funai said. “For now there are no records of conflict, although a death has been confirmed, but no details of the circumstances. The place is difficult to access,” she said.

The state government of Amapá said it was “engaging all efforts to support federal police in the investigation” and had sent an elite troop of police to accompany officers sent to the area.– Guardian </s> Rio de Janeiro: Several dozen heavily armed miners dressed in military fatigues invaded an indigenous village in remote northern Brazil this past week and fatally stabbed at least one of the community's leaders, officials have said.

The killing comes as miners and loggers are making increasingly bold incursions into protected areas, including indigenous territories, with the explicit encouragement of Brazil's far-right President, Jair Bolsonaro. Officials warned that the conflict could escalate in the coming hours.

Bolsonaro has said that indigenous communities are in control of vast territories that should be opened up to industries.

Land invasions in indigenous territories are on the rise across Brazil, where indigenous leaders say they regularly come under threat by miners, loggers and farmers. Yet assassinations of indigenous leaders are rare. </s> Brazilian authorities are investigating the death of an indigenous man after villagers reported illegal miners invaded their land and fatally stabbed their leader.

Officials of the National Indian Foundation arrived Sunday at the indigenous reserve in Amapa state, located in northern Brazil, where the Wajapi people live. Public Ministry officials and police accompanied them.

ARMED MEN DISGUISED AS COPS TAKE $40M IN GOLD, PRECIOUS METAL AND HOSTAGES IN BRAZILIAN AIRPORT HEIST

A day earlier, indigenous leaders and politicians reported a Wajapi village was attacked. They said the dozens of attackers consisted of people who mine illegally for precious metals. The attackers were described as heavily armed and outfitted in military fatigues, The New York Times reported.

Rodolfe Rodrigues, a Senator for the state of Amapa, told The Times that miners had stabbed the indigenous leader to death and dumped his body in a river while other villagers fled. Rodrigues identified the slain leader as Emyra Wajapi.

While Federal Police have yet to release the identity of the man, officials confirmed a man died last Monday and officers were investigating to clarify the circumstances surrounding his death.

Rodrigues, a member of Brazil’s opposition party, blamed the alleged incursion on Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, telling The Times that “the president is responsible for this death.”

Bolsonaro has faced recent criticism for the Amazon rainforest's deforestation after preliminary data released in July showed a drastic acceleration in the levels of forest removed, Reuters reported. Bolsonaro has denied the claims, telling reporters “the data is a lie.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

U.N. human rights chief Michele Bachelet on Monday called for an investigation into the alleged murder, calling it a “disturbing symptom of the growing problem of encroachment on indigenous land,” the outlet reported. She urged the Bolsonaro government to halt the “invasion” of miners and loggers.

The Wajapi lived in isolation within the Amazon until 1970, when the area became accessible with a road built by the Brazillian government, The Times reported. The land became protected under Brazil’s constitution in 1996, according to the paper.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
During conflicts in the state of Amapá in northern Brazil, armed miners invade a native reserve and stab to death an indigenous man.