Venezuelan tribes protest against violent mining gangs
Venezuelan Indians blocked the landing strip of Canaima National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in protest at
illegal miners destroying their lives and lands.
Over the last decade, illegal mining for gold, diamonds and other minerals – some run by armed gangs claiming to be members of Colombia’s guerrilla army FARC – has spread like wildfire through
the Venezuelan Amazon, affecting tribes such as the Yanomami, Hoti, Eñepa, Yekuana and Arekuna.
An Arekuna spokesperson told Survival International, the global movement for tribal peoples’ rights, “Mining is a huge problem in our indigenous territories. The miners
are extracting the riches of our land and the earth is crying out for help. Our rivers are drying up because of the
mining. We must look after nature; if we don’t, the whole planet will suffer.”
Rivers are being contaminated with poisonous mercury used in gold mining, which is entering the Indians’ food and water
supply and devastating their health. In some indigenous communities, the infiltration of gangs has led to prostitution
and alcoholism.
A study found that the majority of indigenous women living along the Caura river in the Amazon had levels of mercury
above internationally accepted standards. It also found that one in three women showed a high risk that their newborn
children would suffer neurological disorders.
The Indians have denounced the Venezuelan military for failing to tackle the illegal mining and for “creating a climate of terror and fear.” Some officers are known to be
involved in the illegal gold trade.
While Venezuela’s constitution recognizes indigenous peoples’ rights to their ancestral lands, few have received
official title to their territories and the government has announced it will open up large parts of the Amazon
rainforest – including Indian land – to legal mining.
Tribal peoples are the best conservationists and guardians of the natural world, yet their lands, resources and labor are stolen by industrialized societies in the name of "progress"and “civilization.”
Read this online: http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/10819
Survival International is the global movement for tribal peoples’ rights. We help tribal people defend their lives,
protect their lands and determine their own futures. Founded in 1969.
ENDS