The people responsible for this tragic situation are the environmental police, the Brazilian Institute for Environment (Ibama) and the Environmental Development State Secretariat (Sedam), according to the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB).

MAB issued a statement a few hours ago to denounce the transnational corporations, which have “taken over” Madeira River. The social organization made up by grassroots groups from Brazil, state that this is one of the most “aggressive” infrastructure projects against nature and the affected communities.

The consortium responsible for the project is made up by companies Odebrecht, Andrade Gutierrez, Cemig and Furnas; and is financed by Banif and Santander Banks.

The mechanisms used by the promoters of the dam and their allies in the government to halt opposition are many. Some are more indirect, like the death of eleven tones of fish last December, which impacted local economy, dependant of that resource; and others are more direct, like the setting on fire of homes owned by the local leaders of the anti-dam struggle.

Their aim is clearly determined: it is necessary to convince the population about the convenience of leaving their lands, at the lowest possible cost, since little has been said about possible compensations.

“Where are we going to move if we don´t get compensations?”, says one of the people affected, according to MAB`s communiqué.

The document also discusses the issue of violation to the sovereignty of Bolivia and Peru, as a consequence of the advance of the project, and criticizes the actions of the Brazilian government with reference to this.

Luiz Inácio “Lula” Da Silva´s administration has once again “turned private priorities into national priorities”, state the members of MAB, who consider the situation of the banks of Madeira River as “dictatorial”.