Credit: We just want to live in peace
The community of Palimiú, where the Yanomami live, is on the banks of the Uraricoera River, along a major route used by illegal miners to reach their mining camps.
Attacks like this have rippled on for days. On May 16, miners in 15 boats fired on the community and threw tear gas bombs.
It’s part of a years-long trend. According to a recent report from the Hutukara Yanomami Association, mining on Yanomami territory grew by 30% in 2020, with nearly 6,000 acres of land deforested.
Images of mining areas there show a wasteland of cleared forest and contaminated pits.