A group of armed miners stormed a remote indigenous village in northern Brazil last week, killing a tribal leader, officials said.
The incident took place in the Yvytotõ village in the state of Amapá, home to the Waiãpi tribe. "This is the first violent invasion in 30 years since the demarcation of the indigenous reserves in Amapá," Sen. Rodolfe Rodrigues told the newspaper Diário do Amapá. Funai, Brazil's indigenous rights agency, said 10 to 15 miners took over the town, stabbing to death 68-year-old Emyra Waiãpi and dumping his body by a river.
The villagers fled to a nearby community, and Rodrigues warned that a "blood bath" could occur if they returned. Federal police and prosecutors said on Sunday they will investigate the incident.
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Against the wishes of environmental activists and tribes, Brazil's right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro, has said he will open the Amazon up to mining and development. He also doesn't think indigenous people need to have protected territories. The Waiãpi live on land that is rich with gold, copper, and iron.
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