RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A two-day standoff with Indians who had blocked an entrance to a mining project in the Amazon where 50 workers were holed up has ended peacefully.
Vale SA said in a statement Saturday night that the 400 Indians had been blocking the main entrance to its Onca Puma nickel mine in Para state. Negotiations over the Indians demands will resume on Monday, the company said.
The members of the Xikrin tribe had threatened to set fire to the mining project.
Brazil’s biggest mining company said the Indians are seeking to modify an agreement to mitigate the mine’s impact on its community’s development.
While Vale said it’s open to discussing the tribe’s demands it repudiates the use of violence that puts at risk employees’ security.
Mining conflicts have become more common in Brazil in recent years as strong global demand for commodities pushes companies to ramp up production in the Amazon and other far-flung areas.
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