Brazilian Indigenous Land Invaded; Federal Security Delayed

More than 500 people have entered Brazil’s Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Land in recent weeks, carving illegal roads, setting deliberate fires and threatening federal agents. A federal court ordered the National Public Security Force to arrive within 48 hours on Aug. 26, but as of Sept. 11 the forces had not yet been deployed. The incursion follows the creation of the Bacajaí Environmental Protection Area, a state‑law designation that overlaps the federally protected Indigenous land and has been used by land‑grabbers to justify cattle ranching and other agricultural activities. The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office has asked a court to fine the government 50,000 reais ($9,000) daily for the failure to provide adequate security. A temporary land‑use restriction remains in place to protect the isolated Igarapé Ipiaçava people, though the federal government claims it needs state authorization, which the state of Pará has not provided. Both the federal government and Pará have yet to comment.