Ministers of Justice and Indigenous Peoples confirm visit to Javari Valley, in AM

Ívina Garcia – from Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – The ministers of Justice and Public Safety, Flavio Dino, and Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, should visit the Javari Valley, in Atalaia do Norte, 1,136 kilometers from Manaus, next February 27. The information was announced by the Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley (Univaja) on the morning of Thursday, 16, during a press conference.

The invitation made by Univaja also received confirmation from representatives of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), Special Secretariat of Indigenous Health (Sesai), National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai) and the Ministry of Environment.

The meeting has been discussed by Univaja representatives with the current government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) since the beginning of his term. According to Univaja’s legal attorney, Eliesio Marubo, the dialogue is an important means for effective actions to be taken.

Read more: Commission issues injunction to Univaja to protect 11 people threatened in Vale do Javari

“Unlike the past government, this one is open to dialogue. [What we want (with the meeting) is that the government changes the operations. The work needs to be one of intelligence and then act in an ostensive way,” evaluates Eliesio.

On the agenda of the meeting, Univaja plans to address the problems that persist in the indigenous territory of Vale do Javari, eight months after the murder of Bruno da Cunha Araújo Pereira and journalist Dominic Mark Phillips, with records of threats to native peoples and continuity of illegal exploitation.

“We have urgencies that can’t wait. We really miss the security forces of the State of Amazonas in the region”, reveals the president of Univaja, Paulo Marubo.

Read more: In the Amazon, Javari Valley indigenous are threatened with gunfire; ‘We fear new deaths’

According to Paulo, the 8th Military Police Battalion of Tabatinga does not have enough structure to take care of the region that includes the municipalities of the far west of Amazonas, such as Tabatinga, Benjamin Constant and Atalaia do Norte. The reportage requested a position from the Amazonas Secretary of Public Security (SSP-AM), but did not get an answer until the close of this article.