Brazil has suspended planned dredging operations on the Tapajós River, a major Amazon tributary, following sustained protests by Indigenous communities who say the project threatens their livelihoods.
The suspension was announced Friday after hundreds of Indigenous protesters spent two weeks demonstrating outside a Cargill port terminal in northern Brazil, urging President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government to halt river development linked to grain exports.
In a statement, the government said it paused the process of hiring a company for annual dredging on the Tapajós River in Pará state “as a gesture of negotiation.”
Protesters are demanding the revocation of a decree signed by Lula in August that prioritised key Amazon rivers for cargo navigation and private port expansion. They are also calling for the cancellation of a 74.8 million reais ($14.2 million) federal tender issued in December to manage and dredge the river.
Authorities further pledged to consult Indigenous communities before any future work on the river proceeds.
