What happened
On 19 October 2026, the President of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF), Chief Justice Edson Fachin, suspended the installation licence for the Volta Grande gold mining project, an open-pit mine planned by the Canadian-owned company Belo Sun in the municipality of Senador José Porfírio, Pará state. His decision, in case STP 1156, granted a request from the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) and overturned a regional court ruling that had let the project go ahead, the STF said.
Fachin found that the records left doubts about whether the conditions set by the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (TRF-1) had really been met, in particular a full study of the impacts on Indigenous peoples and their free, prior and informed consultation. Continuing the project now, he wrote, would risk “serious harm to public order and the environment” because of its exceptional scale. The region is already affected by the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, which, he said, calls for even stricter application of the precautionary principle.
Why it matters
The Volta Grande, or “Big Bend”, of the Xingu river is home to Juruna and Arara Indigenous communities and riverside families who rely on fishing. Belo Monte has already sharply reduced the river’s natural flow there. According to a 2015 feasibility study, Belo Sun planned to extract 3.52 million ounces of gold over 17 years, digging out more than 600 million tonnes of material across a 24-square-kilometre site, AP reports. A 2021 independent assessment raised concerns about a planned dam holding some 35 million cubic metres of mining waste near the river; researchers warned that a failure could affect Indigenous communities more than 40 kilometres downstream.
“We know that even the slightest contamination of the river would destroy everything for us,” Sol Juruna of the Middle Xingu Indigenous Women’s Movement told AP.
It was happy news for us, even though we all know the fight isn’t over.
Sol Juruna, Middle Xingu Indigenous Women’s Movement, speaking to AP
The wider picture
The case has run for more than a decade. In June 2014 a federal court accepted the MPF’s request to suspend licensing until the company produced an Indigenous Component Study (ECI) in the format required by FUNAI, Brazil’s Indigenous affairs agency. TRF-1 later restored the preliminary licence, but only on condition that the study was done properly and the affected peoples were consulted, the STF explains. After a technical review, FUNAI concluded that Belo Sun’s study was insufficient. It cited gaps in identifying affected communities, including Indigenous people living outside demarcated territories, and in assessing the combined impacts with Belo Monte and possible resettlement, G1 reports.
The ruling followed months of protest led by Indigenous women of the Middle Xingu, including a gathering of hundreds of people at FUNAI’s regional office in Altamira, ((o))eco reports. The Alliance for the Volta Grande do Xingu called it a “victory for the resistance” of Indigenous and riverside peoples. Belo Sun says it has been meeting its obligations, including a commitment not to carry out physical works at the site, and will continue talks with FUNAI and communities. Its chief executive, Clovis Torres, said: “The STF’s recognition of the relevance of the settlement hearing established by the TRF-1 is welcomed”, according to Mining.com.
Could it work elsewhere?
The principle at stake is not unique to Brazil. Indigenous peoples’ right to be consulted is set out in International Labour Organization Convention 169, which Brazil has ratified, and similar disputes over mines and dams run across Latin America. In GGND’s view, what makes this ruling useful beyond the Xingu is its reasoning: a project in a river already changed by a mega-dam has to be judged on the combined harm, not in isolation. That standard could apply to many places where one big project follows another.
What remains unresolved
- A provisional win. The suspension lasts until a final judgment or until TRF-1 formally approves a conciliation agreement between the parties, G1 notes. That TRF-1 judgment was paused in July 2026.
- The settlement. Belo Sun says a settlement with FUNAI has been submitted to TRF-1. If approved, it could open a path back to the licence. The MPF had opposed a partial agreement reached in June.
- Who gets consulted. Whether communities outside demarcated Indigenous lands will be fully included in studies and consultation is still contested.
- Political pressure. Supporters of mining on Indigenous lands have gained seats in Congress, which campaigners fear could weaken protections, ((o))eco and AP report.
What happens next
Pará’s environment secretariat, which issued the licence, says it is waiting for official notice of the decision in order to comply. The next steps lie with TRF-1 and the negotiations between Belo Sun, FUNAI and the communities. GGND will follow the case as it returns to the regional court.
Sources
- Supremo Tribunal Federal STF mantém suspensa licença de instalação do Projeto Volta Grande de Mineração no Pará (20 October 2026)
- Associated Press Brazil Supreme Court suspends licence for Belo Sun gold mine on the Xingu (21 October 2026)
- G1 Pará Fachin suspende licença de instalação da mineradora Belo Sun no Pará após alerta sobre impactos a indígenas (21 October 2026)
- ((o))eco Fachin mantém suspensa licença de instalação de Belo Sun (22 October 2026)
- Mining.com via finanzen.at Brazil court halts Belo Sun’s $300M gold project (22 October 2026)
Analysis and context are by The GGND Team. Where we draw our own conclusions, we say so. To report an error, contact us.
