The Javari region is full of rivers and rainforests and lies next to the border with Peru. He was there with an expert on indigenous tribes and their preservation, Bruno Araujo Pereira.
As a civil servant, Pereira was previously responsible for protecting tribes that had almost no contact with the outside world. Pereira has long been threatened by loggers and miners who seek to occupy these areas.
On Monday, local Aboriginal leaders raised the alarm about the duo’s disappearance; They were last seen on a story trip around a network of rivers around the city of Atalaia do Norte. The statement said the couple arrived at their destination on Friday evening.
Urgent search required
The couple left early Sunday morning for a short boat ride, but never made it to their destination. We need urgent inspections with police, army, firefighters and auxiliary forces. “We have no time to lose,” said Beto Marupu, a prominent local leader.
The Federal Police learned of the disappearance and the Navy sent ten personnel to the area. Indigenous and environmental activists have organized independent searches in the area. The military has not yet received permission from above to participate in the research.
More and more tension
Marubo says that the region, which has more than 20 indigenous groups, has seen increasing problems and tensions in recent years, especially after the 2019 killing of an official who was involved in protecting the region and the existing tribes. “Under the Bolsonaro administration, these tensions only increased when the invaders felt supported and became more aggressive.”
He says “systematically organized gangs” of miners and poachers have “plundered” the region’s forests and rivers with impunity.
Phillips is writing a book on the environment in these areas and writes as a freelance journalist for various foreign media.
