Humans have come under attack for the second time in a month by the uncontacted Peruvian Amazon tribe, who have used bows and arrows to kill at least two loggers.
The killing took place near the Pariamanu River in Madre de Dios province on August 29, however, the news was confirmed now by FENAMAD, which is a federation of tribes who live in the region.
On August 29, the women from the Mashco Piro tribe found a group of workers clearing the forest for the construction of the road.
In the confrontation, two loggers died because of ‘arrow impact’, and another person suffered injuries. Meanwhile, two workers are still missing.
Indigenous rights organisation, Survival International, has said that the tragic incident highlights the government’s need to formally recognise and protect the Mashco Piro tribe’s entire territory.
“This is a tragedy that was entirely avoidable. The Peruvian authorities have known for years that this area that they chose to sell off for logging was actually the Mashco Piro’s territory,” said Caroline Pearce, Survival International’s Director, in a statement.
“By facilitating the logging and destruction of this rainforest, they’re not only endangering the very survival of the Mashco Piro people, who are incredibly vulnerable to epidemics of disease brought in by outsiders, but they’ve knowingly put the lives of the logging workers in danger,” Pearce added.
What kind of threats are Mashco Piro tribes facing?
The Mashco Piro tribes are nomadic hunter-gatherers who have been staying in the rainforests of southeast Peru.
It has been estimated that they have 750 members and are one of the largest uncontacted tribes in the world.
Presently, the uncontacted tribe has been dubious of outsiders. This is because they were tortured by colonial rubber barons in the late 19th century in the western Amazon.
Watch: New video ‘uncontacted’ Mashco Piro tribe in Peruvian Amazon under threat of water logging
Thousands of people were enslaved and many others were hunted down, beaten, chained, robbed, raped, and murdered.
Presently, they are also facing the threat of logging and deforestation. It was recently revealed that the members of the Mashco Piro tribe have been living “dangerously close” to parts of the forest which are under the scrutiny of logging companies.
“The government must act now: it must cancel the logging concessions and recognize and protect the whole Mashco Piro territory. If it doesn’t, further tragedies are inevitable,” Pearce said.
(With inputs from agencies)