Brazil’s Lula Pledges to Eliminate Illegal Mining, Help Yanomami

Illegal mining will be eliminated in Brazil, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told journalists after visiting an institution for indigenous healthcare in Boa Vista, Roraima state, in the Amazon region.

Lula didn’t give a time-frame nor specific details on what measures will be taken, but said the issue of illegal mining in Brazil will be solved. The poor health of local indigenous people surprised the president, he said, mentioning he saw children that seemed very weak. “That’s inhuman,” he said.