Bolsonaro visits indigenous reservations in Amazon for first time
May 28, 2021
10:51 AM CDT
Environment
Reuters
3 minute read
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro visited two indigenous reservations in the Amazon on Thursday for the first time as head of state, despite protests from some tribal leaders against his drive to open up their protected lands to commercial mining.
Bolsonaro, flanked by army officers and a Tukano chieftain with feather head-dress, watched the local community perform a ritual dance at the Balaio reservation, where he inaugurated a bridge.
The wooden bridge was built by the Brazilian army on a road that runs to the border with Venezuela, passing through the Balaio reservation, where major reserves of niobium have been found.
The metal is used to make light-weight steel for jet engines and other special applications. Bolsonaro has regularly mentioned its value in speeches about the untapped riches of the Amazon that Brazil must exploit.
More:
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/bolsonaro-visits-indigenous-reservations-amazon-first-time-2021-05-28/