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Indigenous Amazon organizations from across the Amazon and Latin America sent a letter Monday to the United Nations warning that organized crime is driving violence and accelerating environmental destruction in rainforest communities. However, they urged governments to avoid heavily militarized responses in Indigenous territories.
The Associated Press reports that the document was signed by major Indigenous organizations including the Coordinator of Indigenous Organization of the Amazon River Basin and dozens of regional Indigenous federations and international advocacy groups.
The appeal comes as Indigenous communities across the Amazon increasingly find themselves caught between criminal networks and state security operations. In recent years, illegal gold mining, logging and drug trafficking have spread deeper into remote rainforest regions in countries including Brazil, Peru,Colombia and Ecuador, bringing violence, mercury contamination and deforestation.
International rights groups and UN experts have raised concerns about rising attacks on Indigenous leaders and environmental defenders linked to disputes over land, natural resources and illicit economies across the Amazon.
The letter warns that organized crime is not only driving environmental destruction but also weakening Indigenous governance and territorial control.
The letter calls on the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to conduct a dedicated study on organized crime and illicit economies in Indigenous territories and urges the UN agencies to include Indigenous perspectives in anti-crime and anti-corruption policies.
