Brazil: On the verge of a civil war over indigenous land
While the world celebrates the rights of indigenous people this Indigenous People's Day, dispute over land in Brazil is bringing the country to the verge of a civil war. An historic land dispute between rice farmers and indigenous tribes in Roraima, a northeastern state that borders Guyana and Venezuela, has turned sour since April and violence has broken out, raising fears that the frequent confrontations will eventually escalate into a national domestic conflict.
A video released by the Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR) and NGO Survival International shows the moment at which gunmen, according to the tribe people hired by a local farmer and politician, Paulo César Quartiero, attacked a Makuxi indigenous village.
Warning: This video contains images of violence and injuries which may be found disturbing.
An estimated 18,000 indigenous peoples from the Ingarico, Macuxi, Patamona, Taurpeng and Wapixana tribes live in the area known as Serra Raposa do Sol.
The conflicts there intensified in 2005, when the government officially ratified the Raposa do Sol's current borders in the 4.2-million-acre reservation. The decree also ensured that the Armed Forces and the Federal Police should defend the territory.
Since then, most ranchers and rice farmers have left the area, upon receipt of compensation from the government.
However, the demarcation process is being questioned by the Roraima State government which demands that it be reduced in size, claiming that 46 percent of the Roraima's territory is already in Indian hands, and a further extension to the indigenous reservation is an obstacle to the economic development of the state.
Settlers have lived and cultivated the land for decades, since the first generation invaded the then non regularized Indigenous land. Despite the ratification, a small group of them refuse to leave and argue that they occupy just 1% or less of the land.
Attempts to remove them were halted in April 2008, when violence broke out.
An August of grief
The government favors the indigenous peoples, but since the conflict began its indigenous policy has been widely criticized by many sectors of the population, including some military leaders.
The decision is now in the hands of Brazil's Supreme Court, which is expected to decide this month whether the government should carry on the eviction of rice farmers or undo the demarcation of Raposa Serra do Sol's Indigenous land.
There is some concern that if the Supreme Court decides on behalf of the rice farmers, it will set a precedent and other already demarcated and ratified indigenous lands may be equally questioned.
Brazilian bloggers have divided opinions on the matter. Former president of Brazil's National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), Mércio Pereira Gomes [pt] has been promoting an online poll to ask which outcome people expect Brazil's Supreme Court will come up with.
As of now, 253 people have voted, with 34% of them thinking that the court will keep President Lula's 2005 ratification of the land, while 39% believe a new demarcation will be ruled:
?? Está todo mundo ansiosíssimo sobre o que sairá do STF. Basta ver ao lado o placar da enquete sobre esse assunto.
Quase meio-a-meio entre os que acreditam que o STF vai manter e os que acreditam que ela vai mandar refazer a homologação de Raposa Serra do Sol. Hoje mesmo está havendo no Ministério da Justiça um debate com alguns antropólogos, o jurista Dalmo Dallari e o próprio governador do estado de Roraima sobre Raposa Serra do Sol.
Debate para tentar influenciar a decisão do ministro Ayres Britto, que, segundo ele mesmo, a decisão e o voto já foram feitas. ?? Everyone is super anxious about what will come out of the STF [Brazil's Supreme Court]. You only need to check the scores of the survey on this topic to the side [of this blog]. It is nearly half and half between those who believe that the STF will maintain [the borders] and those who believe that it will rule for a re-demarcation of Raposa Serra do Sol's land.
Today there is a debate at the Ministry of Justice with some anthropologists, the lawyer Dalmo Dallari, and even the Governor of the state of Roraima on Raposa Serra do Sol to try to influence the Minister Ayres Britto, whose decision and vote, according to him, have already been made.
Aldenor Jr [pt] seems also to know the decision beforehand and fears there will be even more violence:
?? Enquanto os ministros não firmam uma posição definitiva, os ocupantes ilegais das terras públicas, incentivados pela meia dúzia de grandes rizicultores, preparam a guerra.
Há denúncias de que, nas últimas semanas, teriam entrado na região armas, munições e um contingente ainda maior de pistoleiros, que ocupam posições ofensivas nas proximidades das aldeias Macuxi.
A qualquer momento, sem qualquer aviso, a violência poderá explodir sem controle.
O intenso lobby a favor do esfacelamento do território indígena, realizado por políticos identificados com gananciosos e obscuros interesses, não parou de trabalhar durante o recesso, lançando sóbrias expectativas sobre o desenlace da polêmica em plenário.
Haverá ainda tempo para inverter essa tendência? ?? While the ministers don't come up with a final position, illegal occupants of public land, encouraged by a handful of large rice farmers, are getting ready for a war.
There are claims that in recent weeks arms, ammunition and an even larger contingent of gunmen have entered the region and have taken offensive positions near the Macuxi village.