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Yanomami deaths continue to rise in northern Brazil

An indigenous mother and child, outside a field hospital set up for the Yanomami population in 2023. Photo: Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil

A total of 363 people died in the Yanomami indigenous land in 2023, the first year of the current Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva administration, according to Health Ministry data obtained through a Freedom of Information request and published Wednesday by news outlet Poder360.

The figure is 6 percent higher than the 343 deaths recorded in 2022, the last year of the far-right Jair Bolsonaro administration. The new number also contradicts data previously released by the Lula government, which showed a decrease in deaths in 2023.

Most of the dead are young children. Pneumonia, malnutrition, and diarrhea are among the main causes of mortality.

The Yanomami indigenous land is the largest protected indigenous territory in Brazil, straddling two Amazonian states near the northern border with Venezuela. It is plagued by the side effects of illegal gold mining, which contaminates the water with mercury and often brings with it other crimes such as modern slavery, drug trafficking, smuggling, and child prostitution.

The Health Ministry said in a press statement that the numbers from 2022 and previous years are underreported. For example, the ministry’s current data shows 4,000 more people living on Yanomami land than in the recent 2023 census.

Weibe Tapeba, undersecretary for indigenous health, said in a video message that the numbers are being investigated and that the previous government “abandoned” the Yanomami. “It’s not possible to make a conclusive analysis” of the figures, he said.

The Health Ministry declared a public health emergency in the territory in early 2023 after a ministerial task force found children and elderly people suffering from severe malnutrition, in addition to several cases of malaria, acute respiratory infection (ARI), and other diseases.