National Force remains in the Alto Rio Guamá Indigenous Land in Pará

Daleth Oliveira – Cenarium Magazine

BELÉM (PA) – The Minister of Justice and Public Security, Flávio Dino, extended for another 30 days the presence of the National Public Security Force (FNSP) in the Indigenous Land (TI) Alto Rio Guamá, in Pará. The determination, which was published in the Federal Official Gazette (DOU) on Monday, 24, provides for the use of the military to support “activities and services essential to the preservation of public order and the safety of people and property”.

The Alto Rio Guamá Indigenous Land is located in the municipalities of Santa Luzia do Pará, Nova Esperança do Piriá and Paragominas, in northeastern Pará. It was recognized as such in 1945 and homologated in 1993. The Tembé, Timbira and Kaapor peoples live in the territory. There are 280 thousand hectares where about 2.5 thousand indigenous people live.

On June 23, the indigenous people celebrated the repossession of the territory that was previously illegally occupied by more than 1,000 families. The document delivered to the indigenous people attested to the fulfillment of the judicial order that restores to the peoples the full right of possession.

With the extension, the FNSP’s operations will last until August 22 in conjunction with the public security agencies of the State of Pará and the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai), under the coordination of the Federal Police. Federal agents have been on Pará soil since April 25, in compliance with Ordinance No. 358, of April 24, 2023, of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP).

History of invasions

During the analysis for demarcation in the 1970s, the Indigenous Land of the Upper Guamá River suffered constant invasions by businessmen, farmers and squatters.

In 1974, Mejer Kabacznick occupied approximately 6,000 hectares of the region, creating the Irmãos Coragem farm. In the following years, he built a road to facilitate the flow of his production, which accelerated the process of invasion and logging in the reserve.

In 1996, after the demarcation of the IL, the Battle of Livramento took place, highlighting the tension between settlers and indigenous people. After a large seizure of timber, the Tembé of Guamá and Gurupi united to destroy the seized timber, but upon returning, they were detained by the settlers for three days. Only in December 2014, the indigenous people managed to return 9.2 thousand hectares of the Mejer farm.

In February 2021, Isac Tembé, a 24-year-old history teacher, was killed by a police officer, according to the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI). Witnesses reported that he was cornered on a bush island and executed at close range, which was considered by his relatives as “the chronicle of a tragedy foretold”.