Yanomami indigenous deaths rise under Lula administration

Official data from the Brazilian Ministry of Health indicates that deaths within the Yanomami territory have reached between 1,121 and 1,138 between 2023 and 2025. This figure exceeds the 951 deaths recorded during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro between 2019 and 2022.

The current administration under President Lula has faced significant operational and security challenges in stabilizing the humanitarian crisis. Key drivers of the rising mortality include the spread of infectious diseases in isolated communities and the expansion of organized crime, specifically illegal mining (garimpeiros) and criminal factions that obstruct medical assistance and cause violence.

The Brazilian government has defended its record, stating that comparisons between the current and previous administrations are problematic. Officials argue that the previous period suffered from severe underreporting and a lack of health infrastructure, whereas the current government has expanded epidemiological surveillance, active searches, and medical diagnostics. Meanwhile, political figures such as Flávio Bolsonaro have used the rising death toll to criticize the current administration, referencing the term ‘genocide’ previously used by the left to describe the situation.