2005 ends with a record number of murders

 

With the murder of Dorvalino Rocha, a Guarani Kaiowá leader from the Nhande Ru Marangatu land, who was killed on Cristmas Eve by men hired as security guards of the Fronteira farm, located in the municipality of Antonio João (state of Mato Grosso), 2005 ended with 38 indigenous people murdered.

 

This is the highest number of murders in the last ten years, according to surveys carried out by CIMI (Conselho Indígenista Missionário). Mato Grosso do Sul is the Brazilian State where the highest number of murders was registered, namely 28. The total figure in the last ten years hit the mark of 241 murders, an average of 24 indigenous people killed every year.

 

In its surveys on violence, Cimi uses information collected by its missionaries and news published in the press.

 

Cimi believes that the sluggishness of the State to recognize and protect indigenous lands is one of the main causes of the murders.

In the third year of the administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, unfavorable figures were registered with respect to the amount of lands declared as indigenous lands, that is, which had an administrative ruling published for this purpose by the ministry of Justice in the Official Gazette. Only five lands were declared as indigenous lands, meaning that, in average, six lands a year were declared as such during the Lula administration. This figure is below the annual average registered during the governments of Fernando Collor/Itamar Franco (1991-1992/1993-1994, average of 16 lands a year), Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995-2002, average of 11 lands) and João Baptista Figueiredo (1979-1985, military regime, average of 8 lands).

 

If demarcations continue at this pace, the Brazilian State will take at least 45 years to recognize all indigenous lands in the country and review the bounds of those whose size is being questioned by indigenous peoples.