World · Latin America · 7 hrs ago
Brazil deploys security force to Indigenous territory after invasion
More than 500 people invaded the Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Territory in Pará, northern Brazil, two months ago.
The territory is home to the isolated Igarapé Ipiaçava Indigenous people.
Brazil has now deployed its National Public Security Force for 180 days to support Funai, the country’s Indigenous Affairs Agency.
The invasion followed a Pará state law creating a protected area that allows homes and livestock, but the federal government says the law is invalid because the area overlaps federally protected Indigenous land.
A federal court ordered a security deployment in August, but authorization was not completed until late October, and the order was published in November.
The force is already in the region, where its role is to provide security for Funai’s work; Funai will lead operations and has not disclosed field plans for safety reasons.
Brazil has deployed the National Public Security Force to support protection of the Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Territory in Pará.
The force is authorized to operate for 180 days alongside the Indigenous Affairs Agency, Funai.
More than 500 people invaded the territory two months before the deployment, where the isolated Igarapé Ipiaçava Indigenous people live.
The invasion followed a Pará state law creating an environmental protection area that allows homes and livestock, but the federal government says the law is invalid because it overlaps with federally protected Indigenous land.
A federal court ordered a security team to be deployed in August, but authorization was signed on Oct. 29 and published on Nov. 3.
- Who
- Brazil’s National Public Security Force, supporting Funai.
- What
- The force has been deployed to support protection of the Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Territory for 180 days.
- When
- The authorization was signed on Oct. 29 and published on Nov. 3, 2026. The deployment was underway by Nov. 10.
- Where
- Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Territory in Pará, northern Brazil.
- Why
- More than 500 people invaded the territory. The force is to provide security support for Funai’s protection operations.
Federal government
Pará state law
Validity of the law
Federal government
The federal government says the law creating the Bacajaí Environmental Protection Area is invalid because it completely overlaps with federally protected Indigenous land.
Pará state law
The law allows private landowners to build homes and raise livestock in the area.
A new Pará state law created the Bacajaí Environmental Protection Area.
A federal court ordered the government to deploy a security team within 48 hours to respond to the invasion.
The federal government signed the authorization for the security force’s deployment.
The authorization was published in Brazil’s official gazette.
Mongabay reported that the National Public Security Force was deployed and troops were in the region.
- Territory
- Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Territory, Pará
- Indigenous people
- Isolated Igarapé Ipiaçava people
- Invasion
- More than 500 people
- Deployment period
- 180 days
- Authorization signed
- Oct. 29, 2026
- Authorization published
- Nov. 3, 2026
What people are saying
The deployment of the National Force is already underway
Troops are already in the region.
The continuation or resumption of the National Force’s deployment depends on the issuance of a new administrative act, which also requires authorization from the requesting State Governments