The toll was 19 casualties, several dozens of villages affected, hundreds of thousands of people without water and exposed to serious health risks, all in all nearly 4 million people impacted, to say nothing of the major harm done to the environment.
Contrary to what was claimed by Samarco, this major pollution is not just an accident but the outcome of irresponsible decisions made by the company. Although Samarco was perfectly aware of the dangers to which its negligence exposed the local populations, it did not hesitate to continue its mining activities.
Living as they do on the banks of the river 300 km from the mine waste dam, the indigenous Krenaks are among the populations most affected by this crime. Three years after the failure, the wounds opened by the toxic sludge are still raw for this people, whose way of life and culture are deeply connected with the river.
“The Rio Doce was killed, our culture was killed,” the Borum Krenak village chief Daniel Krenak bemoans.The Krenaks have been mobilizing for three years now against those responsible for this unprecedented crime in the history of this people.
That is why France Libertés is joining the Krenak resistance movement —to denounce the violation of their rights and the threats to their way of life and identity. We are calling upon international solidarity so justice can be done at last!
ICRA is relaying this campaign and asks you to sign the appeal launched by France Liberté.