Criminal networks threaten the Amazon. Indigenous leaders want the UN to act
Summary
Indigenous leaders from the Amazon region are attending a United Nations meeting in Vienna to ask for help against illegal mining, drug trafficking, and deforestation threatening their lands. They want governments to target the financial groups behind these crimes and give Indigenous peoples more power in protecting their territories.Key Facts
- Indigenous leaders from Peru, Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador are at the U.N. conference on transnational organized crime (COP13) from October 19-23.
- Illegal gold mining, logging, and drug trafficking are increasing threats to Indigenous communities in the Amazon.
- Mercury from gold mining is polluting rivers, affecting fish and drinking water for Indigenous peoples.
- Indigenous groups, like the Wampis in Peru, have created monitoring posts with guards to stop illegal mining but face threats and violence.
- At least six leaders of the Kakataibo people in Peru have been killed since 2020 due to conflicts with criminal groups.
- Armed intrusions and threats toward Indigenous villages in Brazil have been reported, with limited government protection.
- Environmental defenders in Latin America face high risks, with 105 killed in 2025, mostly in Colombia and Brazil.
- The U.N. conference may start talks on a new legal agreement to tackle environmental crimes like illegal mining, logging, and wildlife trafficking.
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