Negligence or Genocide? The humanitarian crisis in the Yanomani Indigenous Land in Brazil

Abstract In January 2023, Brazil was shaken by the release of harrowing images showing Yanomami individuals living in appalling conditions, alongside the alarming disclosure that at least 570 children had died from preventable diseases over the previous four years. This article synthesizes a broader research effort aimed at deepening the understanding of the recent humanitarian crisis affecting the Yanomami people. The analysis draws on a wide range of sources, including official statements, public agency reports, assessments by non-governmental organizations, and other relevant documentation. Framed through the lens of biopolitics, the study examines the notion of intentionality by distinguishing between the active infliction of death and the passive allowance of death - an essential differentiation in the field of genocide studies.