Oiapoque, Brazil – Indigenous Chief Wagner Karipuna gazes worriedly at the tranquil river flowing past his village in the Brazilian Amazon as he imagines the nightmare scenario of an oil spill being carried here by the tides. His village, Manga, is located around 20 kilometers from the center of Oiapoque, a town bordering French Guiana that has been buzzing since Brazilian oil giant Petrobras began offshore exploration in the region a year ago. The state-run company announced in August that it had identified signs of oil in a well about 175 kilometers off the coast of northern Brazil’s Amapa state.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is seeking reelection on Oct. 4, promptly visited the area, calling the oil a “passport to the future.” Reaching Oiapoque requires traveling 600 kilometers) from state capital Macapa, part of it along a red dirt road riddled with potholes. Makeshift wooden bridges are used to cross waterways. Many streets in the town have no sidewalks, and are lined with low-rise buildings with run-down facades, although numerous construction projects are underway.
While many residents are excited about a potential oil bonanza in their poverty-stricken town, Karipuna is far from convinced. Water has no borders,” said the 57-year-old chief. He fears an “immense disaster” if an oil leak off the coast is carried into the Curipi River, which runs alongside his village of 1,800 inhabitants.
Petrobras has said its analyses do “not indicate the probability” of oil “reaching the coast in the event of a spill.” “There is no such thing as zero risk in offshore exploration,” said Jean Paul Prates, who headed Petrobras in 2023-24 and now chairs the energy and natural resources think tank Cerne. Lula has said that while he is against fossil fuels, he believes the world cannot live without them yet, and that oil can finance the transition to clean energy. Karipuna said he is already feeling the impact of oil exploration because of “the noise from planes and helicopters,” which he said scares away birds and game.
His concerns are shared by Joelso Mendonca, vice president of a group of nearly 400 traditional fishermen. Petrobras said it had “maintained continuous dialogue” with civil society and Indigenous communities. Regarding air traffic, the company said it had made “adjustments” following consultations with Indigenous leaders.
While some see the potential oil as a curse, Jacqueline Cadete considers it a “sign from God.” The 45-year-old evangelical pastor moved to Oiapoque at the end of 2025, attracted by oil “opportunities” after living abroad for many years in French Guiana and metropolitan France. According to a study by the National Industry Observatory, more than 50,000 jobs could be created in Amapa. And any royalty payments Petrobras will have to make once production begins could provide a considerable windfall for local authorities.
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