By Ellis R. Cortez
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
SAO PAULO, Brazil — The Brazilian Justice Ministry said on Wednesday, June 5th, that 110 National Force soldiers have been dispatched to Mato Grosso do Sul state where hundreds of Terena Indians are occupying a ranch they say is on ancestral lands.
The ranch is at the center of a land dispute between its owner, a former congressman, and the Terena Indians. Approximately 200 Terena Indians occupied the ranch on May 15th. Two weeks later police evicted them in a violent clash during which a 35 year-old Indian man was shot dead. The following day, the Indians occupied the ranch again and on June 4th, another Indian man was injured in an attack by unidentified gunmen. Two others have been reported as missing.
“We must avoid radicalizing a situation that goes back a long way in Brazilian history,” Justice Minister Jose Cardozo told reporters after meeting lawmakers from Mato Grosso do Sul in Brasilia. “We’re not going to put out the flames by throwing alcohol on the bonfire,” he said.
A new eviction order was issued, and Funai, the federal indigenous affairs agency, was informed to peacefully move the Indians off the ranch on June 5th. However, Funai’s press office said a judge suspended the new eviction notice until a federal court rules on the case.
The Indians are also protesting a proposed constitutional amendment that would reduce Funai’s role in determining land for Indian reservations. Under the proposal, Congress and other federal agencies would also have a say in the demarcation of indigenous territory.
Justice Cardozo, however, stressed on June 4th, that Funai would continue to play a central role as the main institution that defends Indian rights, but others will be brought in to improve the process of deciding ancestral lands.
Brazil’s indigenous land policy, included in the country’s constitution, is considered one of the most progressive in the world, with about 13% of the nation’s territory set aside as indigenous territories.
Similar protests have now erupted across the country. In the Amazon region, the Munduruku indigenous group has been occupying the site where construction is underway on the controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam. The Belo Monte dam is set to become the world’s third largest dam and it would be capable of producing 11,233 megawatts of electricity, which is equivalent to about 10 percent of Brazil’s total current generating capacity.
For more information please see:
Washington Post – Brazil deploys elite National Force Troops to contain growing Indian-rancher conflicts – 5 June 2013
BBC – Brazil sends army to indigenous land dispute farm – 5 June 2013
New York Times – Brazil Troops to Contain Indian-Rancher Conflicts – 5 June 2013
Reuters – Brazil calls in army to defuse conflicts over Indian lands – 4 June 2013
