The advance of illegal mining, pollution of streams by pesticides and devastation of the ploughed land were denounced by the leaders.
"Illegal mining, which was previously in the Yanomami region, is now advancing in the Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Land. We have already reported the case to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, but currently there is a lot of invasion on our land. How long are we going to suffer from this?", expressed Djacir Melquior.
The leader lives in the Maturuca community, in the Serras region, and closely monitors situations of risks and threats from illegal mining, which was previously a reality for the Yanomami people.
"How can public security agencies give us support in cases of death threats to leaders, not only in the Amajari region, who are on the front line for the protection of the territory? I reinforce the request for support for the installation of cameras in the communities and ask for justice for the death of Gabriel Ferreira", highlighted Enock Taurepang, leader of the Amajari region.
César Silva, regional coordinator of Serra da Lua, questioned the revision of the boundaries of the Tabalascada Indigenous Land and denounced to Ibama that, around the communities, entrepreneurs are destroying the farms and polluting the streams, harming the residents.
The leaders called for more inspection in the territories that border Guyana and Venezuela. They also cited cases of drone overflights, human trafficking and drug trafficking that use routes within indigenous communities to commit crimes.
These and other complaints were shared this Friday (13), during the 55th General Assembly of the Indigenous Peoples of Roraima, in the plenary session on human rights violations and impunity against indigenous peoples.
The panel was attended by the Brazilian Army, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, Funai/RR and Funai Brasília, ICMBio, the National Council for Indigenous Policy (CNPI), the Indigenous Territorial Protection and Surveillance Group (GPVTI), Ibama, the Ministry of Justice, the Civil Police and other government institutions.
The actions developed in the area of territorial protection were presented by the participants. Eliana Torelly, prosecutor of the 6th Chamber of the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, stressed that the agency has been working throughout Brazil to avoid conflicts in the territories, especially in cases related to demarcation.
"We work with issues that impact the lives of indigenous peoples in Brazil, as in the case of the time frame. We know that in Roraima there are indigenous lands that are awaiting demarcation, as well as in other places. The Sixth Chamber works to avoid conflicts. There are many needs and we are available in Brasilia to receive them", concluded the prosecutor.
Alisson Marugal, Federal Prosecutor of the Federal Public Ministry, highlighted that the role of the MPF is to work for the protection of indigenous rights and territories.
“My team and I are here to account for the demands presented to the MPF by you. Of course, we cannot handle everything, but we do our best to respond to all of them. We count on you, leaders, to register the complaints with photos, videos and forward them to us through documents. We have already made a lot of progress in the complaints that come to us", said the prosecutor.
Joenia Wapichana, president of the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai), highlighted the actions developed in three years of management, stressing that it is the first time that the agency is managed by an indigenous woman. She also announced the holding of a selection process for regional coordination in May.
"Funai has returned to walk alongside the indigenous people. We are leaving a legacy built by indigenous management, done with collectivity and responsibility. We have made progress in territorial protection actions, in the processes of review and expansion of indigenous lands, public tender and, finally, the selection process that will be carried out in Roraima", he said.
The president recalled that she participated in the creation of the working group of the Arapuá Indigenous Land, in the Alto Cauamé region, and that the forecast is that by September 2026 the report will be completed, following Law 14,701.
The technical cooperation agreement between Funai and the Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR) was highlighted by Marizete Macuxi, Funai's regional coordinator.
"It brought the results of the technical cooperation agreement between the CIR and Funai. Through this agreement we were able to carry out some territorial protection activities, purchase of equipment and hiring of human resources, in addition to the acquisition of 'Protected Area' signs, which will be implemented in the indigenous communities. This strengthens the organization and the bases as well", said Macuxi.
The devastation caused by illegal mining in the Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Land was addressed by Diego Bueno, superintendent of Ibama in Roraima.
"We are following the actions to combat mining in the state. Last year we had several operations and discovered thirteen hectares of cyanide pools used for gold extraction. We also identified illegal mining in Serra do Atola, in the Raposa region, located between the Tarame, Napoleão and Raposa I and II indigenous communities, in the Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Land. The operations will continue", he said.
Monitoring and territorial protection in some regions are carried out by the Indigenous Territorial Protection and Surveillance Group (GPVTI), represented by Cleber da Silva, state coordinator of the group.
"We work in the regions with inspection actions, but not all regions have the protection group. We need support for training in the area of monitoring. In the Serras region alone there are seven bases, and the members work voluntarily protecting the communities and combating the entry of equipment for illegal mining", he explained.
During the plenary, leaders of the Serra da Lua, Murupú and Alto Miang regions delivered documents to the MPF prosecutor, Alisson Marugal, and the president of Funai, Joenia Wapichana.
The Executive Coordination of the CIR also delivered the letter from the leaders to the Deputy Attorney General of the Republic, Eliana Torelly. The document expresses the concerns, demands and urgent requests in defense of indigenous territories, leaders and collective rights.
All complaints and claims made during the plenary will be included in the final letter of the 55th General Assembly of Indigenous Peoples of Roraima, which will be forwarded to government institutions for the necessary measures.
At the end, Mr. Ivaldo André highlighted the struggle of the indigenous peoples of Roraima for the demarcation of the Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Land and called for peace, freedom, sustainable development and security in the territories.