Correction: Asháninka Leader Américo Pascual Tumisha Is Alive – Threat to Indigenous Communities Remains Acute

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) corrects its report regarding the death of Asháninka leader Américo Pascual Tumisha in Peru. The 57-year-old was found alive on Wednesday, August 26. At the same time, the human rights organization emphasizes that the threat to indigenous communities in the border region between Peru and Brazil remains acute.

The indigenous umbrella organization ORAU, which sent a team of indigenous representatives to the Onconashari community to investigate the case, published a correction on the evening of Wednesday, August 26. Representatives of the organization had reached the Onconashari community by river and personally confirmed that Américo Pascual Tumisha is alive. According to ORAU, the report of his death was based on a statement from a community member. Previously, Peruvian authorities and international media had also reported on his alleged death. The STP regrets having passed on the inaccurate report of his death.

“We are deeply relieved that Américo is alive. However, this good news should not lead to the false conclusion that the threat to the Asháninka has been exaggerated. The documented incidents show the opposite: criminal networks are encroaching ever further into indigenous territories and threatening those who stand up to them,” says Dr. Eliane Fernandes, who is currently in the Asháninka territory on the Brazilian side. “The situation highlights how important the work of the Indigenous Guard is in our territories: surveillance, protection, territorial defense, and a timely response to situations affecting our communities,” ORAU stated in its release.

“The threat level in the border region between Peru and Brazil is currently very high. Indigenous leaders report to us that death threats against them have increased sharply in recent weeks,” says Fernandes. On July 6, 2026, at least five armed men forced their way into the Asháninka village of Apiwtxa in the Brazilian state of Acre. They were specifically searching for the community’s leaders. In 2014, STP’s close partner and Asháninka leader Edwin Chota, along with three members of his community, were murdered in the border region. They were on their way to Apiwtxa to discuss protecting their territories from illegal logging and drug smuggling.

It is still not entirely clear what exactly happened on August 23. The remote location of the Asháninka community of Onconashari meant that organizations such as ORAU were unable to investigate the case promptly. What is certain is that the Peruvian government still does not take seriously the grave situation facing indigenous leaders who are subjected to death threats. According to William Villacorta of the STP partner organization Upper Amazon Conservancy, the relevant authorities did not travel to the region to investigate the case or search for Américo. The STP continues to call on Brazil and Peru to effectively protect threatened indigenous leaders, thoroughly investigate threats, and work together to combat transnational criminal networks.