A DELEGATION of indigenous peoples from Brazil has joined forces with organisations in Peru to fight against the latter’s Congress from passing a Bill aimed at taking land from uncontacted people.

The proposals, dubbed “the Genocide Bill” by indigenous campaigners, will allow the government to revoke the official recognition of any uncontacted tribe’s existence, open their land to oil and gas drilling, logging and mining, and block the creation of new reserves for uncontacted tribes whose land is currently not protected.

The proposal was brought forward by congressman Jorge Morante from the far-right Popular Force party, which champions the brutal policies set forth during the former US-backed dictatorship of Alberto Fujimori, and is supported by Peru’s oil and gas industry.

The Bill was due to be debated by Peru’s decentralisation committee today.

Indigenous groups fear that if the committee votes in favour of the Bill, then a full vote in Peru’s Congress will follow.

A delegation from the Brazilian indigenous group Javari Valley People’s Union arrived in Peru this week to support efforts to stop the Bill.

More than 10,000 people globally have also contacted the Peruvian authorities to protest against the Bill.

Even Britain, Canada and Germany’s ambassadors to Peru have expressed serious concerns at the Bill’s consequences for the indigenous people.

Tito Sajami Andrade from the Federation of Native Communities of Requena Province said that it was intolerable that Peru congressmen are attacking the rights indigenous people have fought for.

“We’re here for our uncontacted relatives,” he said. “They need protection [from] the evil idea of a pro-Fujimori congressman who’s trying to belittle and violate the rights of our uncontacted brothers and sisters.”

“They [supporters of the Bill] are people who just want to get rich, so now deny the uncontacted tribes’ existence.

“The indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon are standing up. Our uncontacted relatives exist and need our support.”

Teresa Mayo of Survival International said today: “The Genocide Bill is the most serious attack on Peru’s uncontacted tribes in decades.

“All the rights and protections that Peru’s indigenous people and their allies have fought so hard for, over many years, are now at risk of being extinguished with a stroke of the pen.

“These rights are under attack in Brazil too, which is why indigenous people have joined hands across the Peru-Brazil border to fight these genocidal plans.

“It’s a moment of desperate danger — the very survival of dozens of uncontacted tribes is now at risk.”