Indigenous Amazon groups urge the UN to curb organized crime, not militarize territories
The report says organized crime affects 67% of Amazonian municipalities and urges Indigenous-led protection instead of militarized raids.
- Indigenous organizations from across the Amazon will send a letter Monday to the United Nations warning that organized crime—including illegal mining, drug trafficking, and logging—is accelerating environmental destruction in rainforest communities.
- An April report by the NGO Amazon Watch highlights how deeply criminal activity impacts Indigenous communities across seven case studies in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and Venezuela, showing illicit gold mining, drug trafficking, and logging operate as interconnected systems.
- Criminal networks already affect 67% of Amazonian municipalities and have subjected 32% of Indigenous territories to dispute, while at least 296 environmental defenders have been killed in the Amazon since 2012.
- Ercilia Castañeda, vice president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, criticized militarized responses for failing to resolve crises, while the letter urges the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to conduct a dedicated study on organized crime.
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Deputy Director of Operations Jeremy Douglas emphasized that pushing back requires territorial protection and cooperation against transnational organized crime, noting these dynamics weaken Indigenous governance and threaten the global climate.
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The document states that states in the region often respond with militarization, which does not solve the problem, but rather further worsens the situation.
Indigenous Communities Call for Action Against Expanding Organized Crime in the Amazon
Indigenous organisations in the Amazon are sending a letter to the UN, detailing how organized crime threatens their communities and ecosystems. They caution against militarized responses, highlighting the adverse effects of illegal mining, logging, and drug trafficking, while advocating for strengthened territorial protections and Indigenous rights.
Indigenous Amazon groups urge the U.N. to curb organized crime, not militarize territories
Indigenous organizations from across the Amazon and Latin America will send a letter Monday to the United Nations warning that organized crime - including illegal mining, drug trafficking and logging - is driving violence and accelerating environmental destruction in rainforest communities. However, they urged governments to avoid heavily militarized responses in Indigenous territories.
Associated Press News
Indigenous Amazon groups urge the UN to curb organized crime, not militarize territories
Indigenous organizations from across the Amazon and Latin America have sent a letter to the United Nations warning that organized crime — including illegal mining, drug trafficking and logging — is driving violence and environmental destruction in Indigenous territories.
Crime affects 32% of Amazon Indigenous areas, says study
A report by advocacy group Amazon Watch highlights how deeply criminal activity and the militarized state responses that they’ve triggered have impacted Indigenous communities across much of the Amazon Rainforest. “The Amazon Under Siege: How Crime and Militarization Threaten Indigenous Peoples” looks at seven case studies in five countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and Venezuela. It describes how illicit activities and state repression a…
However, they call on Governments to avoid resorting to highly militarized interventions.
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