Brazil's Federal Operation Destroys Illegal Gold‑Mining Bunkers and Tunnels in Sararé Indigenous Territory

Federal agencies have been conducting a 90‑day desintrusion operation in the Sararé Indigenous Territory in Mato Grosso, Brazil, to halt illegal gold mining. Teams from the Federal Police, National Indigenous Peoples Foundation (Funai), Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), Federal Highway Police and the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (FNSP) identified and destroyed 35 underground bunkers and 33 clandestine tunnels used to evade inspection.

The operation, described by Federal Police delegate Rodrigo Vitorino as involving “a specialized bomb and explosive team” that collapses tunnels with charges, also seized 3.8 tonnes of explosives, destroyed 199 illegal camps, 829 mining engines and 34 hydraulic excavators, and caused more than R$ 100 million in losses to the illegal miners. Coordinating the effort, Nilton Tubino said the goal is to prevent miners from returning to the area.

The Sararé reserve is home to 201 Nambikwara people across seven villages on a 67,000‑hectare land, of which roughly 4,200 ha have been affected by illegal mining activities. The federal action aims to protect the indigenous population and the environment by dismantling the criminal infrastructure permanently.