This archive report was first published on 29 July 2019.
On July 29, 2019, the body of the head of the Waiapi tribe was found in a river in the northern state of Amapa, deep within the Amazon rainforest.
The Waiapi's territory is rich in gold, manganese, iron, and copper, making it a prime target for miners, ranchers, and loggers under the far-right government of President Jair Bolsonaro.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called the murder 'tragic and reprehensible' and linked it to the growing problem of encroachment on indigenous land by miners, loggers, and farmers in Brazil.
'It is also a disturbing symptom of the growing problem of encroachment on indigenous land –- especially forests –- by miners, loggers and farmers in Brazil,' Bachelet said in a statement.
Bolsonaro has been accused of harming the Amazon and indigenous tribes to benefit his supporters in the logging, mining, and farming industries.
The Waiapi's territory is one of hundreds demarcated in the 1980s for the exclusive use of its 800,000 indigenous inhabitants.
