Brazil: Mato Grosso Police Attack Indigenous People Protesting Lack of Drinking Water
Indigenous people block a highway in Mato Grosso, Nov. 27, 2024. X/ @RegisMorales1
November 28, 2024 Hour: 10:45 am
‘Instead of water, they send troops. The riot police arrived shooting,’ a Guarani Kaiowa leader said.
On Wednesday, the Military Police of Mato Grosso do Sul used tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets to suppress the Indigenous people of the Dourados Reserve, who were protesting for access to drinking water.
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Acts of police brutality were captured on video. In one clip, officers equipped with shields can be seen forcibly knocking a man to the ground and shooting a woman in the leg. Another video shows an Indigenous woman sitting in a chair with a bleeding ear, being aided by family members.
Since Monday, the Terena and Guarani Kaiowa Indigenous peoples have been blocking the highway connecting Dourados and Itapora to protest months without access to potable water in villages like Jaguapiru and Bororo.
They are demanding the immediate start of well-drilling in the Dourados Indigenous Reserve, home to about 20,000 people. The water crisis in the community has lasted decades and has worsened in recent months due to water supply shortages.
“Instead of water, they send troops. The riot police arrived shooting. Elderly people and children are injured. If there’s no solution, the situation here will get worse,” said Leomar Trovao, a Guarani Kaiowa leader from the Jaguapiru village.
On Wednesday, the Indigenous Peoples Ministry issued a statement regarding the situation in the municipality of Dourados, describing the “arbitrary and disproportionate use of force” against Indigenous peoples as “unacceptable.”
“The situation is being monitored by our Conflict Mediation Department, which is in dialogue with Indigenous leaders, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Special Indigenous Health District of Mato Grosso do Sul, and the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai),” the statement highlighted.
“There’s no way to live without water. It’s impossible. The police are here in our territory, at least three people have been arrested, and we have no support from any federal agency. There’s no Funai, no Federal Police, no one to help us,” Trovao stressed.
“There is deep indignation because the solution is very simple, but they refuse to act… We are within our rights to demand the basics for our people: water supply,” denounced Ezequias, the author of a video showing an Indigenous woman with a rubber bullet mark on her rib.
teleSUR/ JF Sources: Brazil de Fato – Indigenous Peoples Ministry
