Brazil's President Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva vowed Jan. 23 to provide the indigenous Pataxó Hã Hã Hãe people of southern Bahia state with federal support in a land dispute with farmers who are encroaching on their territory. The dispute led to the death of an indigenous leader in a confrontation; her brother, a traditional indigenous chief (cacique), was also shot but survived after undergoing surgery. Others suffered non-deadly injuries in the clash, including a broken arm.

According to local police, on Jan. 21, in the municipality of Itapetinga, some 200 farmers with the group Invasão Zero (Zero Invasion) mobilized to the area after a local farm was re-claimed by the indigenous community. Two armed members of the farmer group were arrested as suspects in the ensuing cash. An indigenous member who was carrying an "artisanal weapon" was also arrested at the site.

Brazil's Minster of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Gaujajara, denounced the farmer group for acting through "their own means without a judicial decision." 

In 2022, Brazil's Pastoral Commission on Lands reported 211 land conflicts in Bahia, making it the third most afflicted state in the country, after Maranhão and Pará.

In a radio interview, Lula confirmed that the federal government would be at the "disposal of the Bahia governor and indigenous people to find a solution, to resolve this matter in a peaceful manner."

From Jurist, Jan. 24. Used with permission.