In the Amazon, Indigenous leaders are killed, and there's no action from the United Nations

Federation of Indigenous Organizations of Napo (FOIN) at U.N. Censored News

In the Amazon, Indigenous leaders are assassinated, and there's no action from the United Nations

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, April 25, 2025

NEW YORK -- Indigenous women in the Amazon question why there is no decisive action from the United Nations while leaders are being assassinated and mining and criminals flourish in the Amazon.

"We can not talk about implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples if we do not recognize that illegal mining, drug trafficking, illegal logging, human trafficking and other illicit activities are killing us," said Nely Shiguango, Kichwa leader and Head of Education, Culture, and Women’s Affairs at the Federation of Indigenous Organizations of Napo (FOIN) in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

“These criminal economies contaminate our rivers with mercury, destroy our food sources, deteriorate our health and livelihoods, and spread fear in our communities: they kill leaders, recruit our youth, and displace us from our territories,” 

“How can we talk about implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples if we don’t acknowledge that we are being killed?”

"I'm wondering, why we are still not taking decisive action within these forums. These forums should provide a response."

"Our people cannot wait any longer."

"We need sufficient water, and now we seem to have sufficient water, but we are given toxic plastic to collect it in, so that is another problem."

Amazon Watch said, "Shiguango called on the Forum to urge the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to produce a specialized report on the impacts of organized crime on Indigenous peoples, including concrete recommendations to strengthen Indigenous territorial governance, intercultural health, and community security, and to uphold traditional ways of life."

"Her testimony is grounded in the alarming reality documented in the recent report Gold, Gangs, and Governance: Indigenous Communities Under the Grip of Organized Crime, which highlights the sharp rise of illegal mining operations in Napo province. In just one year, illegal gold mining has expanded by over 500 hectares – encroaching on protected areas like the Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park. The report also details how mercury pollution is contaminating the Napo River, with devastating consequences for the health of Kichwa communities and the biodiversity of the region."

Indigenous women and youths say there has been no significant progress to ensure their safety, as mining continues to result in violence and sex trafficking, targeting Indigenous women and girls. The Continental Network of Indigenous Women of the Americas (ECMIA) represents organized Indigenous women, young women, and girls from 23 countries in the Americas. Watch: U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in News York. https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1l/k1llzx75ie

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