SAO PAULO, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) — President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva assured today that his government will act to find a peaceful solution to the conflict caused by the invasion of landowners into an indigenous land in the The state of Bahia emerged in the northeast, where an Aboriginal woman was murdered.
“We want to find a peaceful solution, I provide the government and express my solidarity with the family of the murdered indigenous woman,” Lula told the Jornal da Bahía no Ar radio show.
Last Saturday, farmers entered the Caramuru Catarina Paraguassu indigenous land, which was occupied by the Pataxó indigenous population, armed and shooting.
The Ministry of Indigenous Peoples reported that around 200 rural producers and traders from the Potiraguá region in southern Bahia were mobilized via WhatsApp messages to invade indigenous land and occupy an ancient hacienda.
During the armed invasion, indigenous leader Nailton Muniz was injured and his sister María de Fátima Muniz, known as Nega Pataxó, was killed.
According to the local press, a 19-year-old young man, son of one of the organizers of the attack, was arrested for murder.
According to the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib), this is the second death of Pataxó leaders in the last 30 days.
In the last decade, the Apib has recorded 29 indigenous deaths in land conflicts.
The government of Bahia state reported that it had created a police force specializing in mediation to protect indigenous reserves and territories from the advance of armed groups. End