The removal of invaders and squatters from an indigenous land in Pará, carried out without the support of the Armed Forces, was marked by turmoil and roadblocks by people who were in the territory; by the lack of guidance to the families, who stayed in the neighboring villages; and the withdrawal, without apprehension, of cattle used by land grabbers to dominate the region.
THE Sheet showed in an article published on the 4th that the Ministry of Defense failed to respond to a request from the Federal Police for the Armed Forces to assist in the complex action of removing invaders and cattle from the Trincheira/Bacajá indigenous land, of the Kayapó, in the region of São Félix do Xingu (PA).
The refusal occurred despite the PF’s proposal to reimburse the military’s expenses with logistical support in the region.
The operation has lasted four weeks and has become even more difficult due to the lack of logistical support from the military.
The request made was for military camps to be set up for members of the PF and the National Public Security Force, linked to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. The police ended their participation in the action on Tuesday (16). The National Force continues in the region.
The deintrusion is a determination of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), in an action that asks for the removal of invaders in seven territories: Yanomami, Karipuna, Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, Arariboia, Mundurucu, Kayapó and Trincheira/Bacajá.
The process is reported by Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, who has already given decisions favorable to the withdrawal.
The PF and the National Force promoted the removal of around 200 squatter families from the Trincheira/Bacajá land, with access blocks, and around 600 head of cattle.
Both the people and the animals stayed in the villages and neighboring lands, according to police officers who are following the progress of the operation.
There was no registration or monitoring of families by Incra (National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform).
Regarding cattle, the initial plan was for the animals to be apprehended by Adepará (Agricultural Defense Agency of Pará), due to sanitary irregularities, such as the lack of vaccines.
Riots and protests by squatters prevented the seizure, according to police monitoring the operation.
In a statement, INCRA said that it is not responsible for removing occupants from indigenous lands.
“Funai (National Indian Foundation) is responsible for planning, coordinating and executing actions to identify, relocate and compensate (when applicable) non-indigenous people in these lands,” he said. “Non-indigenous people eventually identified by Funai as occupants in good faith are subject to resettlement, based on the foundation’s indication to Incra.”
THE Sheet asked Funai about what was done in the territory, and there was no response.
Adepará said that it only provides support in directing the removal of animals and provides a destination for the meat.
“[O gado] would be destined for a slaughterhouse registered with the official service. If the meat is fit for consumption, it will have this purpose. If not, it will be disposed of,” he said in a statement. The cattle appear to be in good health, but only tests that “would be carried out at the slaughterhouse” could confirm this, according to Adepará.
PF investigations show that a group of land grabbers, with land in the vicinity, controls the invasions of indigenous land. The strategy consists of occupying spaces with cattle and selling land to squatters – these are basically poor families, attracted by offers of plots with values of R$ 5,000.
The need to leave the illegal occupation, without a clear destination, led to the blocking of roads that give access to the indigenous land. The branches are used by squatters and land grabbers, and are not used by indigenous people.
Among the police, there is fear that invaders and cattle will return to traditional territory, as has already happened.
In November 2021, a deintrusion action was carried out in the same indigenous land. It was the first action of its kind in the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government, which acts against the demarcation of new territories and in favor of the occupation of these spaces with activities such as gold mining.
Accesses were also closed in 2021, and people were asked to leave the invaded areas. Two bridges were destroyed. On that occasion, the cattle assigned to land grabbers remained.
In the new incursion into the territory, police officers found that the bridges were rebuilt, and that people returned to the invaded places. With the new retreat, the bridges were destroyed again.
The Defense Ministry said it had informed the PF about “possibility of support at a later date”. The ministry said, in a note to the report at the beginning of the month, that it took into account the availability of financial resources and the “need for adequate preparation measures, as it is an isolated location without any support structure”.
The absence of the Armed Forces in operations of this type, despite requests for help in logistics, became constant, especially the provision of aircraft for overflights and access to illegal mining areas.
Investigators who are in charge of inquiries into gold extraction in indigenous lands claim that the Armed Forces refuse to provide aircraft for actions that try to curb the advance of the logistical structure maintained by those who exploit the illegal activity.
