April 16, 2022

12:04

Marcela Leiros – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – The Federal Public Ministry of Pará (MPF-PA) reported, on the morning of Friday, 15, via the agency’s communication channel on Twitter, that triggered inspection and security agencies such as the National Indian Foundation (Funai), Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), Federal Police (PF), Military Police (PM), National Force and Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) about the invasion of miners in the Xipaya Indigenous Land (TI) in Pará.

According to the cacica of the Karimã Village, Juma Xipaya, in a video published on Instagram, the Indigenous Land was invaded on Thursday 14. Desperate, Juma Xipaya appealed to the competent authorities to act on the spot before an armed conflict breaks out. Still according to the leadership, the invaders were “destroying the territory”.

“When my father approached them to understand what was happening, they treated my father violently, and at this very moment there could be an armed conflict in the Indigenous Land and we don’t know what to do. Leaders and warriors from other villages are coming down to try, through dialogue, to ask them to leave our territory, but we don’t know how this contact will happen”, she said.

The cacica also said that the fear is that the leaders and warriors would be received in a violent way. For this reason, she made an appeal to the competent bodies. “We have already made contact with Funai, with the MP. It is now, not tomorrow or the day after, it is now. They are destroying our territory, they are carrying heavy weapons, and we don’t know what kind of weapons they have”, she further emphasized.

Access to the Indigenous Land

The Indigenous Land is located in the southwest of Pará. Access to the territory is only possible by river and air. The CENARIUM tried to contact, via message application, the cacique Juma Xipaya on Friday morning, 15th, but did not receive a reply as of the publication of this report. The report also questioned all the bodies cited by the MPF, via e-mail, about what steps are being taken, but also did not get a reply.

Watch the video:

Recess of the competent bodies

The Xipaya IT has about 200 residents in various villages scattered throughout the territory. In a statement, the Juma Institute said that criminals began to enter the Iriri River, on the banks of the IT, on Thursday afternoon, 14, with at least one large raft of illegal mining. Upon seeing the indigenous people, the criminals threatened them with violence and “continued to advance through the territory”.

“Criminals are using the Easter holiday to advance illegal mining into indigenous territories in the Middle Xingu. It is notorious that crimes like this occur during periods of recess of the Federal Public Ministry and Funai,” said the note.