Invaders storm Indigenous Amazon land, threatening isolated people
Nearly 200 people have invaded the Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Land in Brazil’s Pará state since mid‑August, smashing through the Indigenous Affairs Agency (Funai)’s gates, tearing down warning signs and setting up camps inside a territory reserved for uncontacted Indigenous peoples. The surge followed the creation of the Bacajaí Environmental Protection Area (APA Bacajaí) under a new […]
Nearly 200 individuals have recently invaded the Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Land in Brazil's Pará state, encroaching upon a territory reserved for uncontacted Indigenous peoples. This surge in illegal activity followed the establishment of the Bacajaí Environmental Protection Area (APA Bacajaí) under a new state law that overlaps entirely with the federally protected Indigenous land.
This has created legal confusion, which land-grabbers have allegedly exploited to justify their occupation for cattle ranching and agricultural purposes. Federal prosecutors and the Public Defender's Office have issued warnings about an imminent risk of violent confrontation and potential genocide against the isolated Igarapé Ipiaçava people.
The first reported invasions occurred shortly after the new state law was announced in the Official Gazette on August 12, 2026.
Brief written by urgent.news from Mongabay's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
