Authorities have discovered further illegal mining operations on Yanomami Indigenous lands in Brazil, casting doubt on efforts put forth in 2023 to eradicate this environmental crime. 

Federal police forces entered Yanomami territory in the northern state of Roraima on January 16 as part of an operation targeting illegal mining operations there, according to local media reports.

After failing to capture any illegal miners, officials found an abandoned mining site with discarded machinery and weapons belonging to the presumed criminals who fled the area. After seizing these materials, authorities burned the camp. 

SEE ALSO: Brazil Targets Illegal Gold Miners With Force and Legislation

The operation was just the latest in a series of actions taken since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, better known as Lula, assumed office in January 2023. His administration has placed a particular focus on protecting Yanomami territory from illegal miners.

For decades, illegal miners have looted Yanomami lands due to its large gold deposits, and the rivers that allow for the easy transport of gold from the mines.

Lula made a campaign promise to put an end to the destruction of the Amazon. After taking office, he launched an all-out offensive to expel illegal miners – also known as garimpeiros – and crime groups from the region. This ultimately led to the migration of illegal mining operations to neighboring countries like Venezuela and Guyana.

However, despite some initial success, the latest federal police operations suggest these efforts have lost steam and that illegal miners have again returned to Yanomami territory in search of gold.

InSight Crime Analysis

The government operations targeting illegal mining in Yanomami territory had some positive immediate impact, but it will take more than armed offensives to end the continued destruction of these prized Indigenous lands.

Initially, the rapid decrease in the number of illegal mining sites in Yanomami territory was heralded as a win for Lula. In April and May 2023, a satellite system used by Brazilian police to monitor the Amazon as part of Operation Liberation (Operação Libertação) detected just 33 new mining sites, marking a sharp decrease from the 538 located during the same period in 2022.

SEE ALSO: Amazon Protection Pact Falls Short on Tackling Organized Crime

However, not even a year after these operations began, illegal mining has returned to the area as Lula’s strategy appears to have lost momentum.

“When the entire emergency subsides [in Yanomami lands], the operations move elsewhere, because we have a giant Amazon with many problems in different areas,” said Melina Risso, research director at the Igarapé Institute, a Brazilian think tank dedicated to development, security, and climate issues.

“And by reducing official controls, illegal miners are once again operating in this enormous area,” she added.

There are several weaknesses of such a militarized strategy, as InSight Crime has previously reported. While they may have some immediate success in slowing the growth of illegal mining, these strategies fail to address systemic issues. This includes the impoverishment of those living in these territories, which ultimately pushes them to partake in illegal mining as the only economic option available to survive.

The presence of crime groups like the First Capital Command (Primer Comando Capital – PCC) has further exacerbated these problems. The group has often put pressure on local Indigenous communities to participate and provided resources to fund illegal mining operations.

“To achieve any sustainable results, there has to be official oversight and inspections and a permanent state presence in these areas,” Risso told InSight Crime.