Since November 27, the bishop of the diocese of Barra (state of Bahia), Dom Luiz Cappio, has been fasting in protest against the São Francisco river transposition project. During these 10 days, different organizations and people from all over Brazil and from abroad have been expressing their support to the bishop’ struggle through letters, demonstrations, and even through by fasting themselves individually.

 

On December 4, over 4,000 people participated in a demonstration in the municipality of Sobradinho (state of Bahia), where the bishop has been living since he began to fast. On the next day, over 1,000 people closed a bridge on the São Francisco river, on the BR-242 roadway.

 

In support to Dom Cappio, the Shout of the Excluded staged a demonstration today (December 6) at the Praça da Sé square, ìn the city of São Paulo, where many people will abstain from eating during the whole day. In the city of Belo Horizonte, students and religious people began to fast today for an undetermined time in protest against the transposition project. Religious people are taking turns in fasting for from one or two days together with Dom Cappio.

 

Different organizations expressed their support to Dom Cappio, amongst which the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples from the Northeast region, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo (Apoinme). Twenty indigenous peoples of the region will be directly and indirectly affected by the transposition project. A note recalls that the government “should ensure a process of prior consultations with the indigenous peoples that will be impacted by the project.” In its note, the National Council of Christian Churches of Brazil stressed that “this extreme act of Dom Frei Luiz is not just a political act and involves symbolic and religious dimensions.”

 

All these demonstrations in support of Dom Cappio have been strengthening him, who is fine. Yesterday (December 5), he began to take some doses of sugar/salt oral rehydration solution. On Sunday (December 6), social movements, organizations, and pastorals will begin a large religious pilgrimage in the municipality of Sobradinho (state of Bahia). On December 10, demonstrations in protest against the transposition project will be staged throughout the country.

 

Figures 

A comparison among projects specifically designed for the region reveals that alternatives to the transposition project could assist more people at a lower cost. According to the Ministry for Integration, the transposition project will benefit 12 million people in 397 municipalities in 4 states at a cost of R$  6.6 billion. 70% of the water will be destined for irrigating, 26% for urban-industrial supply, and 4% to scattered rural populations.

 

The projects proposed by the Atlas of the Northeast Region (disseminated by the National Water Agency), which are associated to a project for impounding rain water, can benefit up to 44 million people in 1,356 municipalities in 10 states at a cost of R$  3.6 billion (projects contemplated in the Atlas). These projects are mainly aimed at providing water to urban and rural populations for human use.

 

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Justice of the Supreme Federal Court pledges to give priority to the process on the Guarani land in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul

 

The justice of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) César Peluso pledged to give priority to judging a process that could officially reconfirm the bounds of the Ñanderu Marangatu land of the Guarani Kaiowá people in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Today (December 6), he had a meeting with three leaders from the Guarani people in Brasília.

 

Chief Lorentito Vilalva and teachers Dário Peralta and Hamilton Lopes delivered a dossier to the justice reporting acts of violence committed by farmers who won farms located inside the indigenous land. Peluso will give priority to the process because of the tension observed in the area. On November 7, the Federal Police seized some illegal weapons, amongst which a rifle used by the Army, from security guards hired by the farmers. Among other incidents, the case of two indigenous women who were raped by people identified as security guards hired by the farmers was also mentioned in the dossier.

 

Today, representatives of the Guarani people also met the head of the office of the president of the National Land Reform Institute (Incra). Francisco Nascimento suggested to the Incra office in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul that a public hearing on the land situation should be held in the state.

 

Yesterday (December 12), the indigenous leaders met Federal Representative Luiz Couto, the president of the Human Rights and Minorities Committee of the Chamber of Representatives. Couto also pledged to ask the Supreme Federal Court to judge the process related to the Ñanderu Marangatu land as soon as possible. He is very concerned with the violence faced by the Guarani Kaiowá people in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and with the lack of land for them to live in – which is the main cause of these acts of violence.

 

“We can’t lose our hope. We are confident,” concluded Hamilton Lopes after the meetings. She believes that ensuring the recognition of the official bounds of the land by reverting the decision made by the STF is harder now than it was for the farmers to secure a preliminary order in their favor in the original proceedings.

 

Background

The bounds of the Ñanderu Marangatu land were officially confirmed in March 2005. Subsequently, through an injunction, the farmers requested the Supreme Federal Court to suspend the effects of the official confirmation of the bounds until a process for interrupting the land demarcation process, which is now being judged by a federal court in the municipality of Ponta Porã, is concluded. In July 2005, the then chief justice of the Supreme Federal Court, Nelson Jobim, decided to suspend the effects of the official confirmation of the bounds of the land through preliminary orders.

 

 

International Support 

A letter campaign was launched by Amnesty International in support of the Ñanderu Marangaru indigenous community. Over a hundred letters were sent from different countries to the minister of Justice, to the chief justice of the Supreme Federal Court, and to the special secretary for Human Rights.

 

On December 3, the violence faced by indigenous people was also reported to the United Nations (ONU) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, who said that she was very concerned with the violence committed against them and with the invasion of indigenous lands.

 

Brasília, December 11, 2007

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Indianist Missionary Council