Tensions flared at the COP30 United Nations Climate Summit in Belem, Brazil, on Tuesday when a group of Indigenous protesters forced their way into the conference venue, clashing with security guards as they demanded urgent climate action and protection of ancestral lands.
Witnesses said dozens of demonstrators broke through security barriers at the main entrance to the Amazon Convention Center, where thousands of global delegates and officials are meeting to negotiate new climate commitments. The protesters, many carrying tribal flags and banners reading “Our land is not for sale” and “Defend the Amazon,” demanded a greater voice for Indigenous peoples in global environmental decision-making.
Security personnel attempted to contain the group using makeshift barricades, including tables and metal fences. According to a Reuters correspondent at the scene, one guard was injured and seen being taken away in a wheelchair while clutching his abdomen. Another suffered a cut above his eye after being struck by a drumstick thrown from the crowd.
A United Nations spokesperson later confirmed that two security officers sustained minor injuries and that limited property damage occurred before the situation was brought under control.
“Brazilian and UN security personnel followed established protocols to secure the venue. The site is now fully safe, and negotiations have resumed,” the spokesperson said in a written statement.
Authorities have since launched an investigation into how the protesters managed to breach security barriers at one of the most tightly controlled events in the world.
Voices from the Amazon
The protesters, largely from Indigenous communities across northern Brazil, said they were frustrated by what they see as slow progress on environmental protections and the continuing expansion of industrial projects in the Amazon rainforest.
“We can’t eat money,” said Nato, a leader of the Tupinamba people, who joined the protest. “We want our lands free from agribusiness, oil exploration, illegal miners, and loggers. The forest is our life, not a resource to be sold.”
Their demonstration followed a larger peaceful march earlier in the day, where hundreds of Indigenous leaders and environmental activists gathered near the summit grounds, calling on world leaders to commit to zero deforestation and greater Indigenous participation in climate governance.
A Summit Under Pressure
COP30, hosted this year in the Amazonian city of Belem, marks the first time a U.N. climate summit has taken place in the world’s largest rainforest—home to roughly 30 million people and more than 350 Indigenous groups. The location was chosen to highlight the Amazon’s critical role in regulating global temperatures and storing carbon.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has positioned himself as a global advocate for environmental justice, has repeatedly said that Indigenous peoples must be “at the heart” of climate policy. His administration has pledged to eliminate illegal deforestation by 2030 and restore millions of hectares of degraded land.
However, many Indigenous representatives say progress has been too slow. Earlier this week, prominent Indigenous elder Chief Raoni Metuktire, a long-time environmental campaigner, told Reuters that native communities are still being sidelined in major policy decisions.
“We are the guardians of the forest, but we are not being heard,” Raoni said. “If Brazil truly wants to protect the Amazon, it must protect those who live in it.”
Security Tightened but Talks Continue
Following the incident, U.N. officials temporarily restricted access to the main gate while repairs were made to damaged structures. The entrance is expected to reopen on Wednesday. Delegates were briefly instructed to remain inside the secured compound until the situation was resolved.
The confrontation underscores growing frustration among Indigenous peoples who see themselves as frontline defenders against deforestation and climate change but feel excluded from the international decision-making processes that affect their lands.
Despite the disruption, negotiations continued into the evening, with discussions focused on forest conservation funding, carbon markets, and the inclusion of Indigenous-led solutions in future climate frameworks.
As the summit enters its final days, the protest has amplified a message that many say the world can no longer ignore: safeguarding the planet may depend on empowering those who have protected its ecosystems for centuries.
Source:Africa Publicity
