by Orlando Junior Agence France-Presse MANAUS, Brazil (AFP) — Brazilian authorities on Wednesday arrested a man in connection with the disappearance of a British journalist and a local indigenous expert in the Amazon, police said, as calls mounted for officials to deliver answers on what happened to them. As the search approached its fifth day, official information was scarce on the investigation into the fate of Dom Phillips, 57, and Bruno Pereira, 41, who disappeared […]
Tag: indigenous
Fears mount for British journalist missing in Amazon
by Marcelo Silva de Sousa Agence France-Presse BRASÍLIA, Brazil (AFP) — Rights groups and families of a British journalist and Brazilian indigenous expert who went missing deep in the Amazon after receiving threats pleaded Tuesday for authorities to accelerate the search operation. Veteran freelance journalist Dom Phillips, 57, and respected indigenous specialist Bruno Pereira, 41, went missing early Sunday while traveling by boat in Brazil’s Javari Valley, near the border with Peru, where Phillips was […]
British journalist, indigenous expert missing in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — A British journalist and a Brazilian indigenous expert have gone missing in a remote region of the Amazon rainforest after receiving threats, authorities and indigenous-rights groups said Monday, raising fears for their safety. Veteran foreign correspondent Dom Phillips, 57, went missing while researching a book in the Brazilian Amazon’s Javari Valley with respected indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, said The Guardian newspaper, where Phillips has been a longtime contributor. The […]
Probe accuses Swiss mining firm of hiding Guatemala pollution
GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (AFP) – Two subsidiaries of Swiss mining company Solway Investment Group hid reports of pollution in an indigenous area of northeastern Guatemala, an international consortium of media companies said Sunday. The “Mining Secrets” investigation — in which 65 journalists from 15 countries participated — also accused Solway subsidiaries Guatemalan Nickel Company (CGN) and PRONICO of intimidation and influence peddling. The investigation run by the Forbidden Stories NGO “reveals the strategies that Solway […]
Bolsonaro proposes Amazon mining over fertilizer shortages
BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday proposed lifting a ban on mining in indigenous territories in the Amazon to offset potential fertilizer shortages due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The far-right leader said that mineral extraction in indigenous territories — something vehemently opposed by those local communities and environmentalists — was necessary to avoid dependence on imported products. “With the Russia/Ukraine war we now face the risk of a lack of […]
Mining firms targeting Brazil indigenous lands: report
RIO DE JANERIO, Brazil (AFP) – Major mining companies are seeking to expand to currently protected indigenous lands in the Amazon rainforest, bolstered by billions of dollars in financing from international banks and investment firms, a report found Tuesday. Nine mining giants including Brazil’s Vale, Britain’s Anglo American and Canada’s Belo Sun have filed applications seeking authorization to mine on indigenous reservations in Brazil — even though that is currently illegal, said the report by […]
Refugee camp in Bogota park evokes pain of conflict
by Hervé BAR, with Diego LEGRAND Agence France-Presse BOGOTA, Colombia (AFP) – Far from their ancestral homes, more than 1,000 indigenous people displaced by conflict have been squatting in squalor since September in one of the Colombian capital’s most emblematic parks. “We want rights and dignified conditions… food and security,” said Luz Mary Queragama, one of the group’s representatives. There are around 550 children among about 1,300 people camping in the National Park that sits […]
Chile president declares ‘state of exception’ over Mapuche conflict
SANTIAGO, Chile (AFP) Chilean President Sebastian Pinera on Tuesday announced a state of emergency and deployed troops to two southern regions where clashes have broken out between Mapuche indigenous people and security forces. The Mapuche are demanding the restoration of their ancestral lands and self-determination. “We have decided to call a state of exception” in four provinces of the southern regions of Biobio and Araucania and the deployment of troops to help control “the serious […]
18 hurt in Chile clashes between indigenous protesters and police
Riot police clashed with protesters Sunday during a rally by the indigenous Mapuche community, leaving 18 people injured and 10 arrested, authorities said. About a thousand activists marched in the center of Santiago, many wearing ponchos and traditional head ornaments, demanding autonomy for the Mapuche, when police moved in to disperse the protest with water cannons and tear gas. Protesters responded with sticks and stones in a confrontation that lasted about 40 minutes, according to […]
Conservation meet mulls plan to protect 80% of Amazon
by Marlowe HOOD Agence France-Presse MARSEILLE, France (AFP) – Should 80 percent of the Amazon be declared a protected area by 2025? The world’s top conservation body is on Sunday poised to decide whether its 1,400 members can vote on this controversial proposal, put forward by indigenous groups. Submitted under an emergency provision to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the measure calls for a “global action plan” to halt rampant deforestation […]
Amazon indigenous protesters vow indefinite roadblock
NOVO PROGRESSO, Brazil (AFP) — Armed with spears and bows, dozens of indigenous protesters in Brazil vowed Thursday to maintain a roadblock on a key highway until the authorities listen to their demands for help fighting COVID-19 and deforestation. Members of the Kayapo Mekranoti ethnic group have been blocking highway BR-163 through the Amazon since Monday outside the northern town of Novo Progresso. But they vowed that they would no longer lift their blockade periodically to […]
Brazil indigenous protesters defy court, resume roadblock
NOVO PROGRESSO, Brazil (AFP) — Indigenous protesters in Brazil defied a court order Tuesday and resumed a roadblock of a key highway through the Amazon rainforest, demanding help against the new coronavirus and an end to illegal mining and deforestation. Brandishing bows and wearing traditional feather headdresses and body paint, dozens of protesters from the Kayapo Mekranoti ethnic group have been blocking highway BR-163 through the Amazon rainforest since Monday morning. They briefly lifted their […]





