On Thursday, approximately 400 indigenous individuals staged a significant protest by intercepting barges operated by Cargill in the Tapajós River, located in Santarém, Pará, Brazil. The protest was organized to oppose the federal government’s plan for developing waterway infrastructure designed to facilitate the transportation of agricultural products through the Amazon rivers. This demonstration aimed to bring attention to the potential environmental impacts and the encroachment of agribusiness on indigenous territories in the region.

The indigenous group, organized in four boats, approached the Cargill barges and conducted a direct action by swimming to the vessels and displaying protest banners. The mobilization was closely monitored by federal police and the Brazilian Navy, underscoring the tension between government initiatives favoring agribusiness interests and indigenous rights. Auricélia Arapiun, an indigenous leader, highlighted the group's determination to defend the Tapajós River and their territories from what they perceive as aggressive encroachments by corporate and governmental entities.

In response to the protest, the federal government issued a statement clarifying that the decree related to the waterway projects (decreto nº 12.600/2025) does not permit construction or privatization of the Tapajós River route. However, this assurance did little to quell the concerns of the indigenous communities, who are committed to continuing their activism against the privatization of rivers, emphasizing the need for long-term protection of their environmental and cultural heritage, while pushing for a reconsideration of federal policies that they believe prioritize agribusiness over indigenous rights.