Brazilian Indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire, of the Kayapo people, has strongly opposed oil exploration in the Amazon, warning of its detrimental impact on local communities. Speaking at Brazil’s largest Indigenous gathering, Acampamento Terra Livre, Raoni addressed growing concerns over Petrobras’ plan to drill offshore in the Foz do Amazonas basin, located off the coast of the Amazonian state of Amapá.

“I oppose this oil project,” Raoni stated, adding that he had personally conveyed his objections to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “I do not accept oil extraction in the Amazon.”

While President Lula has long presented himself as an advocate for the environment and Indigenous rights, he has also supported the idea of drilling in the Foz do Amazonas basin. Lula has criticized the country’s environmental agency, Ibama, for its delay in issuing Petrobras a permit for the project.

Raoni, an internationally recognized environmental activist, was one of the few invited by Lula to stand with him during his inauguration in January 2023. In May 2023, Ibama denied Petrobras’ request for an offshore drilling license in the Foz do Amazonas region due to environmental concerns, including potential risks to Indigenous communities in Amapá. Petrobras has appealed the decision, with Ibama’s final ruling still pending.

The Foz do Amazonas basin, part of Brazil’s Equatorial Margin, is considered one of the country’s most promising oil reserves, sharing geological similarities with nearby Guyana, where ExxonMobil is developing large-scale oil fields.