Photo courtesy of Egon Heck @ciminacional

The Conselho Indigenista Missionário (CIMI) foresees that 2017 will once again be a year in which the indigenous peoples of Brazil will face various threats to their constitutional rights. The organisation highlights the case of the Guarani-Kaiowá of the state of Mato do Grosso do Sul, who in previous years have seen increasing violence. The Guarani-Kaiowá face regular attacks by paramilitary groups funded by agribusiness magnates, and suffer from poverty and undernutrition due to being deprived of their traditional territories. Although their situation is highly precarious, and although ruralist forces within Brazilian congress keep advancing anti-indigenous laws on behalf of the agribusiness lobby, the indigenous peoples of Brazil do have opportunities to improve their situation by engaging in continuous mobilisation.

CIMI underlines the importance of continued vigilance on behalf of the international community. The violations of Guarani-Kaiowá rights have been denounced at the United Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS) and at the European Parliament, and various national and international delegations have visited Mato Grosso do Sul. Still CIMI argues caution as those who oppose indigenous rights will keep trying to undermine the cause.