Brazilian tribal leader Raoni vows to give President Lula a “talking-to” over controversial oil exploration and railway projects in the Amazon region
BELÉM: A prominent Brazilian tribal chief has threatened to personally confront President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva over controversial oil exploration near the Amazon River.
Raoni Metuktire, the nonagenarian leader of the Kayapo people, made the declaration on Wednesday during UN climate talks in the Amazon city of Belém.
“I support President Lula, but he must listen to us… He must respect us,” Raoni told journalists after participating in the People’s Summit opening ceremony.
The Indigenous leader specifically criticized Petrobras’s recently licensed drilling project and the planned Ferrograo railway spanning nearly 1,000 kilometers through the Amazon.
“I will make an appointment with him, and, if necessary, I will give him a talking-to so that he listens to me,” said Raoni, recognizable by his traditional lower lip plate.
His comments were translated from the Kayapo language into Portuguese for journalists.
Raoni warned that continued “bad actions” including deforestation would create significant problems despite improvements since Lula replaced far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.
The tribal chief had symbolically presented Lula with the presidential sash during his 2023 inauguration ceremony.
Lula has consistently argued that Brazil needs oil revenue to fund its energy transition, describing the world as unprepared to abandon fossil fuels completely.
However, the president recently acknowledged that Earth “can no longer sustain the development model based on the intensive use of fossil fuels” during a pre-COP30 leaders’ summit. – AFP
