New images of Yanomami in a dramatic situation reverberated this Friday (12/09/2022). They reveal residents of the Kataroa community affected by severe acute malnutrition. Kataroa is located in the Surucucu region, in the municipality of Alto Alegre, north of Roraima, Brazil.
The health crisis results from the fatal combination of the prospector invasion, the federal government’s neglect and cases of corruption, with the diversion of resources from indigenous health. The mining invasion causes contamination of rivers and degradation of the forest, which reflects on the health of the Yanomami, especially children, who face malnutrition due to the scarcity of food.
In November, the Federal Police and the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) carried out an operation against fraud in the purchase of medicines destined for the Yanomami Special Indigenous Health District (Dsei-Y). Among the targets of the Yoasi operation are businessmen and employees of the Yanomami Indigenous Health District (Dsei-Y), a Ministry of Health agency responsible for Yanomami indigenous health. According to investigations, the criminal scheme left at least 10,000 indigenous children without medication.
Under Bolsonaro, the Yanomami suffer the highest rate of deaths from child malnutrition in the country. With only 0.013% of the Brazilian population, the Yanomami had 7% of deaths due to child malnutrition between 2019 and 2020 – 24 children died. According to Agência Pública, more than 50% of Yanomami children are underweight, and many Yanomami health posts have gone more than a year without food.
On Tuesday (06), another fact raised the alert for the territory. The Homoxi Indigenous Basic Health Unit (UBSI), in the Homoxi region, was set on fire.
In the midst of this serious situation, PSOL and the Urihi Associação Yanomami accuse the Security Secretary of Roraima of leaking an operation against miners in the Yanomami Indigenous Land. Secretary of State Edison Prola gave details of the operation that aims to remove prospectors from the largest indigenous reserve in Brazil. Organizations filed a criminal complaint asking him to be investigated for disclosing confidential information.
Yanomami women ask Lula to put an end to mining in the indigenous reserve: ‘We don’t want to cry because people are dying’. Letter signed by 49 women reveals concern if the federal government does not act to curb the action of miners in the largest indigenous land in the country. The document was delivered on Monday (12), the day Lula (PT) received a diploma from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
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