Eight to 10 members of a remote indigenous group were allegedly killed by men working for illegal prospectors in Javari ValleyBrazilian authorities are investigating reports of a massacre of up to 10 people from an isolated tribe in the Amazon by illegal gold miners. The killings, alleged to have taken place in Javari Valley, are claimed to have been carried out by men working for gold prospectors who dredge illegally in the region’s rivers. If proven, the murders would confirm that severe budget cuts to Brazil’s indigenous agency are having deadly effects. Around 20 isolated groups are believed to live in the Javari Valley, where around 80 recently contacted indigenous people also live. In June, UN rights experts denounced a surge of killings related to rural land disputes in Brazil this year.

Source: The Guardian September 12, 2017 09:41 UTC