BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT DEALS WITH INDIAN
MATTERS AS A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE
The demarcation of Indian lands in Brazil is being dealt with by the
government as a national security issue. The Advocacy-General of the Union,
the institution that provides advisory in legal matters to the Executive
Branch, consulted the National Defence Council on the demarcation of the
Raposa/Serra do Sol Indian Area, occupied by almost 100 makuxi, wapixana,
ingariko, and taurepang communities. The National Defence Council, which
includes four military ministers, is the body which the President of the
Republic consults on matters related to the national sovereignty.
The conflict derives from the location of the area: Raposa/Serra do Sol
is located on the border between Brazil, Venezuela, and Guyana. According to
the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the demarcation of the area must
be approved by the National Security Council and can only be carried out
after a law regulating the occupation of the border region is passed by
Congress.
The Office of the Attorney-General approves the demarcation, and legal
advisors to the Ministry of Justice issued an opinion according to which the
arguments of the General Staff of the Armed Forced are groundless. However,
the minister of Justice, the authority responsible for determining the
demarcation, still asked the opinion of the Advocacy-General of the Union on
the matter.
The location of the area is not the main reason why it has not been
demarcated so far, but rather economic and political interests. According to
the Constitution, Indian lands are assets of the Union which are to be
demarcated. It does not restrict the access of military forces to Indian
lands, it only says that they must respect the material and immaterial
property belonging to communities which live in them.
VIOLENCE AGAINST THE XUKURU KARIRI INDIANS
Gunnmen accompanied by eight men wearing Civil Police jackets expelled
Xukuru Kariri Indians from the Mata da Cafurna Indian Area, located in the
state of Alagoas, Brazilian Northeast. The gunnmen and the eight alleged
policemen invaded the homes of the Indians and forced them to leave the area
with death threats. The Indans say that the gunnmen were hired by farmer He'lio
de Carvalho. In August, 62 xukuru families occupied an area which had been
invaded by the farmer, but were evicted from it in compliance with a judicial
decision.
Brasi'lia, September 29, 1994
CIMI - Indianist Missionary Council