Brazil deploys national security force to Indigenous territory following invasion

Two months ago, over 500 individuals breached Brazil's Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Territory in Pará, where the Igarapé Ipiaçava Indigenous community resides in isolation. Consequently, Brazil has dispatched the National Public Security Force for a 180-day period to assist the Indigenous Affairs Agency (Funai) in safeguarding the Indigenous territory.

According to a Ministry of Justice and Public Security spokesperson, the deployment of the National Force is currently underway, with troops already present in the region. In August 2026, a new state law in Pará established the Bacajaí Environmental Protection Area (APA Bacajaí), permitting private landowners to construct residences and graze livestock within the area.

Nevertheless, the federal government contends that the state law is null and void as the APA Bacajaí fully encroaches upon the federally protected Indigenous land in Pará state. Following the law's approval, hundreds of individuals invaded the Indigenous land, breaching security barriers, dismantling warning signs, and establishing camps inside.

A Mongabay investigation published in October elucidates how the hastily enacted law facilitated the legitimization and encouragement of hundreds of individuals to invade the territory. This investigation also uncovered a significant surge in forest fires, surging from zero alerts in August to 23 instances of fires inside Ituna/Itatá by October 13. On August 26, a federal court mandated the government to deploy a security team within 48 hours.