News of Note 4/4/25: No Consent to Oil from Achuar and Sapara Nations, Brazil Mining Proposal Revoked, Violations Escalate against Pataxó People
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The Achuar and Sapara Nations Say No to Big Oil in Their Territories (Amazon Frontlines)
“The Achuar and Sapara Nations of Ecuador held extraordinary assemblies to make decisions about their territories in response to the Ecuadorian government’s plan to auction off their ancestral lands in the Southeastern Oil Round. [...] ‘I am asking the national government to respect the Achuar nationality because we preserve our forest and river. We have our markets and medicine here in the jungle. That is why we reject oil companies in our territory. The Ecuadorian State must respect our resolution’, says Unkum Mukucham, Vice President of the Achuar Nation of Ecuador (NAE).
After outcry, Brazil Supreme Court nixes proposal for mining on Indigenous lands (Mongabay)
“Brazil’s Supreme Court backed down and withdrew its proposal to open up Indigenous territories to mining and economic activities from a controversial bill that critics say violates the Constitution. On the same day, the Federal Attorney General’s Office presented a draft presidential decree also excluding mining activities on Indigenous territories but allowing tourism and other activities led by Indigenous communities. Both drafts would keep contentious articles regarding compensation for non-Indigenous settlers, which could make the land demarcation process unfeasible, critics say.”
For the Pataxó Peoples: In Defense of Life, Self-determination, and Justice (Cultural Survival)
“Since 2022, the Pataxó people have been the target of murders, persecution, armed invasions, disinformation, and systematic attempts at criminalization in retaliation for their legitimate struggle for the demarcation of their ancestral territories—as documented by us and other national and international organizations (See also CIMI). Most recently, on March 20, 2025, a large-scale police operation with dozens of vehicles, helicopters, and drones was launched in Pataxó villages, resulting in the arbitrary arrest of Indigenous leaders and serious rights violations, including against children and elders.”
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