Category:The Amazon

This highway makes the Assurini hungry

So they closed it

Tiffany Higgins

Tiffany Higgins

— 7 min read
This highway makes the Assurini hungry
From June 22 through June 25, the Assurini Indigenous people of Trocará Territory shut down a highway that has caused negative impacts on them since it was built in the 1980s during the dictatorship. Indigenous leaders say the federal government has not carried out longstanding promises of programs to address the highway’s continuing damages. A tale of an Indigenous people, impacted by a megadam and a highway run through their territory, who demanded their rights by shutting down the highway for four days this past week. The municipal mayor threatened to shut down all public services, such as education and health, if the Indigenous didn’t remove their protest blockade. Facing that threat, the Assurini stopped the protest. But they haven’t given up on their demands. As public prosecutors seek legal avenues, it remains to be seen if the government will honor agreements that the Assurini say have long remained unmet.

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