The South Rupununi Dis-trict Council (SRDC) has welcomed the return of Yanomami lands in Brazil to their rightful owners, but notes with great alarm that many of the illegal gold miners, called Garim-peiros, are expected to flee across the border into neighbouring countries, including Guyana.
In a statement yesterday, the SRDC said that Guyana must act decisively to the threat that southern Indigenous communities potentially face.
“Water contamination, famine, and disease were common challenges that the illegal gold miners brought upon the Yano-mami people. Our communities already suffer from the effects of gold mining on our traditional lands, including Marudi and Wakadanawa, and we fear that an influx of miners from Brazil will make the situation exponentially worse”, the SRDC stated.
It said that these effects are avoidable, noting that it has repeatedly stated that the best way to protect “our lands and our people is to recognize and protect our rights over the use and preservation of our lands. In this case, that means processing and approving our long-delayed applications for extension of title”.
The SRDC said that illegal gold miners from Brazil must not be allowed to continue their destructive activities here. It called on the Government of Guyana to collaborate with the SRDC to ensure that the tragedies of the Yanomami people are not repeated among Guyana’s first peoples. At a minimum, SRDC said that the government should take the following actions:
The government must agree to restart land talks with the SRDC to expedite the approval of our extension applications. Indige-nous customary lands are vital to our survival and we have been the stewards of its protection for centuries.
The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and other relevant agencies should work to build the capacity of our monitors and the community mines rangers to work together with government security forces so that illegal mining can be located and stopped as quickly as possible.
Temporary security forces should be stationed along the porous border with Brazil to ensure that illegal gold miners do not enter. SRDC’s land monitors can use their superior knowledge of the land to assist these security forces.
The SRDC said that it stands ready to collaborate with government agencies and with the Guyana Defense Force to protect its lands. The consequences of failing to do so would be severe, and the harms that would result would amount to an abdication of the government’s duty to protect the lives of its citizens.
