‘Uncontacted’ tribe appears in Peru and violent confrontation only narrowly avoided

Members of an Indian tribe that have long lived in voluntary isolation in Peru’s south-eastern Amazon have attempted to make contact with outsiders for a second time since 2011, leading to a tense standoff at a river hamlet.

Authorities are unsure what provoked the three-day encounter but say the Mashco-Piro may be upset by illegal logging in their territory as well as drug smugglers who pass through, while oil and gas exploration also affects the region.