Nearly 200 Invaders Occupy Brazil’s Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Land, Threatening Uncontacted People

Since mid‑August, almost 200 people have entered the Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Land in Pará, breaking through Funai gates, removing warning signs and setting up camps. The surge followed the creation of the APA Bacajaí environmental protection area, a state law that overlaps the entire Indigenous territory and has created legal confusion that land‑grabbers use to justify cattle ranching and other agriculture. Funai had issued temporary land‑use restriction orders since 2011 and renewed the precautionary measure in 2025. Federal prosecutors and the Public Defender’s Office warn of an imminent risk of violent confrontation and possible genocide against the isolated Igarapé Ipiaçava people. The APA covers 142,400 hectares and was enacted on August 12, 2026, by state deputy Francisco Torres de Paula Filho.