‘It’s total devastation’: inside the Amazonian war against illegal gold mining
Summary
Brazilian security forces have destroyed an illegal gold-mining settlement called Vila Cururu in the Amazon to stop severe damage to Indigenous lands. The mining caused large-scale forest destruction and pollution in protected Indigenous areas near the Bolivia border.Key Facts
- Vila Cururu was an illegal gold-mining camp with many miners damaging forests and land.
- Brazilian troops attacked and destroyed the settlement in March 2024 as part of a government effort.
- Sararé Indigenous territory lost about 4% of its forests, equivalent to almost half the size of Manhattan, between January 2024 and August 2025.
- The damage includes poisoned water contaminated with mercury used in the mining process.
- The government’s crackdown began after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva returned to power in January 2023.
- Miners moved to Sararé to escape enforcement actions in other Indigenous areas.
- Rising global gold prices and political instability, including the influence of President Donald Trump’s policies, have driven illegal mining activity.
- Around 200 Indigenous Nambiquara people live in the Sararé territory affected by the mining.
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