President Lula advocates protecting Amazon peoples in fight against organized crime

By Ana Pastana – From Cenarium

MANAUS (AM) – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) stated this Tuesday, 9, in Manaus, that the Brazilian State cannot allow the most vulnerable to continue being the main victims of crime in the Amazon. The statement was made during the inauguration of the Amazon International Police Cooperation Center (CCPI), a new structure aimed at combating environmental crimes, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and smuggling.

According to Lula, the fight against organized crime must prioritize the protection of Indigenous peoples, riverine communities, and residents of the outskirts—groups that, according to him, suffer the most intense effects of violence in the region. “We cannot allow residents of the outskirts, Indigenous peoples, and riverine communities to have their lives marked by violence while the wealthy remain unpunished. The most vulnerable are those who suffer the most from crime,” said the president.

The politician also reinforced the defense of national sovereignty, rejecting external pressures on the Amazon. “We do not need foreign interventions, nor threats to our sovereignty. We are perfectly capable of being the protagonists of our own solutions,” he affirmed, highlighting the importance of integration and cooperation between countries and police forces.

The CCPI Amazônia will host representatives of national and international security forces, bringing together the nine states of the Legal Amazon (Amazonas, Acre, Amapá, Pará, Tocantins, Rondônia, Roraima, Maranhão, and Mato Grosso), as well as the countries that share the biome: Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, France (via French Guiana), Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

With an investment of R$ 36.7 million from the Amazon Fund, the center is coordinated by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA) and managed by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES).

Agenda in Manaus

In addition to inaugurating the Amazon International Police Cooperation Center (CCPI Amazônia), president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva carried out another agenda this Tuesday, 9, by launching works of the Norte Conectado Program, considered one of the largest digital infrastructure projects in the region’s history.

On the occasion, Lula also delivered the subfluvial cable of Infovia 04, which connects Boa Vista (RR) to Amazonas, a milestone representing progress in the construction of the digital highway system. The program’s main goal is to expand connectivity in the Amazon, ensuring access to high-speed internet and strengthening regional integration.

The president closed the agenda by participating in the ceremony for the implementation of the Union with Municipalities Program for the Reduction of Deforestation and Forest Fires. At the event, contracts were signed between the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and the National Agency for Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (Anater) for the program’s implementation, as well as between BNDES and the Chico Mendes Memorial for the implementation of the Sanear Amazônia project.

Edited by Adrisa De Góes
Translated from Portuguese by Gustô Alves