Enawene Nawe blockade succeeds

The Brazilian government has agreed to several key demands of the Enawene Nawe Indians after they blockaded a major highway. The government's Indian agency, FUNAI, will survey lands claimed by the Enawene Nawe and other tribes, with the aim of officially recognising the areas as indigenous.

For three days in May, the Enawene Nawe, a small and remote Amazon tribe, erected barricades in Mato Grosso state to protest against plans to build a series of hydroelectric dams along the Juruena river. They were also demanding the official recognition of their vital fishing waters in the Rio Preto area, which are being rapidly destroyed by cattle ranchers.

Neighbouring tribes joined the protest in support of the Enawene Nawe's demands, swelling the number of protestors to 200.

The government responded quickly by dispatching officials to negotiate with the Indians on the barricade.

It agreed to pay for representatives of various tribes in Mato Grosso to travel to Brasília to meet with the President of FUNAI.

Despite the recent concessions, however, the dams still look set to go ahead.

For previous news on the blockades go to: https://www.survival-international.org/news/2459