Bolsonaro Backed by Amazon Towns Wanting Mining Revival — SkimNews
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- Flávio Bolsonaro secured nearly 79% of the vote in Mucajaí, Roraima, where residents view his candidacy as a path to economic revival through legalised mining on Indigenous territories
- Rosimari Monteiro voted for Bolsonaro, citing job losses from Lula’s mining crackdown and the hope that Bolsonaro will legalise mining so 'people can get back to work'
- Júnior Hekurari, a Yanomami leader, warns that a Bolsonaro victory would be 'a death certificate for the Yanomami' as miners reportedly prepare to re-enter protected lands
- Nilton Tubino, who leads Lula’s anti-mining efforts, reports 'strange movements' near Yanomami territory and admits his unit will close if Bolsonaro wins, fearing a rollback of environmental protections
- Davi Kopenawa, the most famous Yanomami leader, predicts violent conflict if Bolsonaro prevails, stating 'there will be a war between Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people'
- Joênia Wapichana led street protests in Boa Vista, declaring that Indigenous communities 'are born fighting, born resisting' and will not surrender to Bolsonaro’s agenda
Why it matters: A Bolsonaro win would empower a network of pro-mining, anti-Indigenous officials across the Amazon, risking a resurgence of illegal extraction and state-backed erosion of protections—directly threatening the survival of isolated communities like the Yanomami, who have already suffered malaria, mercury poisoning, and starvation under prior Bolsonaro-aligned policies.
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