Recently, the Ecuador army raided mining zones and removed dozens of machines, says Bishop Adelberto Jiménez. "But after a week or so, they were all back to the forest. We demand that more forceful measures are taken."
In large Amazonian cities like Manaus and Belém, church groups have noticed increasing numbers of homeless people on the streets and higher demands for donations.
After four years of the far-right government of Jair Messias Bolsonaro, Brazilians peacefully welcomed for the third time the inauguration of the popular center-left leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on New Year’s Day.