Brazilian authorities announced a hunt for illegal gold prospectors in the Amazon

Felipe Finger, coordinator of the Ibama Environmental Protection Agency, told Al Jazeera that the security forces were not interested in yanomami. They blocked the movement of illegal prospectors, or simply put, bandits, along the two main rivers in the search area. "Now they have nowhere to run, and we know the location and approaches to the main base. Tomorrow we will start defeating illegal immigrants," Finger said.

And now the hour of reckoning has come. Noticing the helicopters, garimpeiros or illegal miners fled into the jungle, leaving behind bags of cassiterite — a tin dioxide-rich ore known as "black gold", which they sell to local dealers for a song.

While special forces soldiers were smashing up residential and work buildings in the camp, investigators immediately interrogated 36-year-old prospector Eduardo, who was detained.

"You're trying in vain! Illegal mining will not end - it has nothing to do with the policies of Lula or Bolsonaro," the detainee said, referring to the current left-wing president and his right-wing predecessor.

Illegal Eduardo boasted that he could earn about $ 5 a week at the mine. "Who will pay you such good money in the city!" he exclaimed.

Recently, Yanomami leaders complained to the authorities that about 20,000 bandits calling themselves miners invaded their territory, killing and raping indigenous people and polluting rivers with mercury, which they use to separate gold from impurities.

The Brazilian authorities decided to deal with the offender, standing up for the interests of Yanomami. The reason for the start of the "action of justice" was the message about the death from malnutrition of about 100 young children from indigenous families. After the pogroms and bullying by the so-called miners, many Yanommi lost their jobs, housing and means of subsistence.

Illegal gold mining increased dramatically during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro in 2019-2022, who advocated the opening of indigenous lands to all Brazilians who want to earn money, including illegally mining gold in the Amazon jungle.