By Mariana Alvarenga
Brasília – The Armed Forces are mobilizing 800 military personnel, as well as river, land and air resources, to combat illegal mining in the Yanomami Indigenous Land (YIL), in the states of Amazonas and Roraima. Four aircraft are being used for the de-intrusion actions. The measures are part of the second phase of Operation Catrimani, which began in April and is coordinated by the Ministry of Defense (MD). The YIL is home to approximately 27,000 indigenous people. The region covers an area larger than Portugal and is home to dense forests, no roads and few navigable rivers during dry periods, which makes access difficult.
In this second phase, the Armed Forces will act to crack down on illegal mining on the indigenous land, carrying out joint operations to disable the infrastructure supporting the illegal activity and also providing logistical support for emergency government activities. Ordinance GM-MD No. 1511/2024 details the operation, which is scheduled to continue until December 31 of this year.
According to the order, the Catrimani II Joint Operational Command post is located in Boa Vista (RR). The Armed Forces are working in conjunction with the Security Agencies and Bodies (AOS) and the Government House, a structure set up in Roraima in February to strengthen the protection of indigenous people. The Government House is linked to the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic.
In March, the federal government issued a Provisional Measure (MP) with an extraordinary credit of R$1 billion to meet the YIL work plan. The MP determines the division of this amount between eight ministries, with the Ministry of Defense receiving R$309.8 million, referring to the use of the Armed Forces and the Management and Operational Center of the Amazon Protection System (Censipam), an agency linked to the MD.
Catrimani I – In the first phase of Operation Catrimani, which took place from January to March this year, the Armed Forces provided humanitarian assistance to 236 indigenous communities of the YIL, transporting cargo, fuel and carrying out aeromedical evacuations, as well as supporting operations by the Federal Police and Civil Police of the State of Roraima.
The logistical effort involved the participation of 374 military personnel, who delivered 15,000 food baskets (330 tons), using 2,400 flight hours to cover 680,000 kilometers, a distance equivalent to 17 laps around the earth.
Since April, the delivery of food baskets to the Yanomami has been carried out by the federal government, through the contracting of civilian transportation, under the responsibility of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI). The Armed Forces, for their part, are concentrating their efforts on confronting the mining, as well as other logistical actions to support the operation that may be necessary.
Task Force – Since January 2023, the MD has been part of the federal government’s task force to protect indigenous people in the TIY. In inter-ministerial cooperation, over the past year, the Armed Forces have transported more than 760 tons of supplies and 3,000 patients by air for specialized health treatment; they have arrested 165 miners and delivered 36,000 food baskets.
In these actions, 1,500 military personnel and 18 types of aircraft from the Navy, Army and Air Force were deployed, accounting for more than 7,400 flight hours, which represents more than 1.6 million kilometers traveled and more than 40 laps of the earth.
Photos: Disclosure *** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***