CARACAS—A member of Venezuela’s Pemon indigenous group was killed during a “confrontation” on Dec. 8 with security forces attempting to dislodge an illegal gold mine in southern Bolivar state, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said on Dec. 11.
It was the latest in a string of violent incidents in the remote jungles of the once-booming OPEC nation, where people are increasingly taking to informal gold mining as the country’s socialist economy unravels and hyperinflation leaves millions struggling to afford basic food items.
