Venezuela's Indigenous Lands Vulnerable to Illegal Mining and Armed Groups Due to Stalled Titling, Report Warns

Indigenous peoples in Venezuela face escalating threats due to the prolonged paralysis of land titling and demarcation processes, a situation that has persisted for a decade.

The Venezuelan Program for Education-Action in Human Rights (Provea) highlighted in its annual report that the lack of effective protection for indigenous territories leaves these communities exceptionally vulnerable and hinders their fundamental rights. The organization stated that the stalled demarcation and titling since 2015 directly contributes to the proliferation of illegal mining and the presence of armed groups.

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The demarcation and titling of their lands continue to be paralyzed since 2015, an absence that contributes to illegal mining and the presence of armed groups.

Compounding these territorial issues, a severe health crisis is unfolding. Provea reported that at least eight people died from tuberculosis in the Puerto Ayacucho hospital in late 2025. Furthermore, between 2022 and 2024, over 500 Yanomami people died from treatable diseases, underscoring the dire state of healthcare in indigenous regions.

Despite military operations declaring the Yapacana National Park "mining-free" in 2023, illegal mining activities continued in indigenous territories in Amazonas state, including within the park, in 2025. The lack of justice is also a significant concern, with no progress reported in the investigation into the 2022 murder of indigenous leader Virgilio Trujillo, a case that remains unpunished.

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The health crisis exacerbates vulnerability: at least eight people died from tuberculosis in the Puerto Ayacucho hospital in the last months of 2025, and more than 500 Yanomami died between 2022 and 2024 from treatable diseases.