In the state of Mato Grosso, located in the west region of Brazil, there are at least five lands whose ownership belonging to indigenous peoples whose legalization processes are stalled.
These lands are the Batelão and Cururuzinho lands of the Kayabi people; the Manoki land of the Irantxe people; the Teresa Cristina land of the Bororo people; the Baía do Guató land of the Guató people; and the Portal do Encantado land of the Chiquitano people.
Other peoples have not managed to ensure the setting up of technical groups to identify their traditional lands or parts of them, which were excluded from previous demarcation procedures.
These include the Castanhal and Tucunzal lands of the Myky people; the Rio Preto land of the Enawenê Nawê people; the lands of the Chiquitano people and the Pontal land of the Apiaka people.
Lands such as the Jarudori land of the Bororo people and the Urubu Branco land of the Tapirapé people have been invaded. The Marãiwatsede land of the Xavante people has been occupied by invaders and the indigenous people have been confined to a small space and prevented from circulating inside their own territory, although it has been demarcated, confirmed and registered.
Despite recent police operations to control deforestation in the state of Mato Grosso, problems caused by the illegal extraction of timber and pollution continue and have become more serious as a result of the expansion of soybean monoculture schemes, which pollute waters and affect entire rivers.
Indigenous people who live in isolation in the Rio Pardo indigenous land continue to face the threat of genocide, which will only be eliminated after all invaders of their lands are removed from them and they are demarcated and protected.
The evaluation of the situation of indigenous lands in the state of Mato Grosso was made by bishops, religious people and lay persons who are members of the Indianist Missionary Council during the Assembly of the Regional Office of the organization in Mato Grosso, which was held on July 17-21 in São Félix do Araguaia.
In a manifesto, they stated that the above-mentioned situations should be immediately addressed by the Brazilian State, or else they will contribute to the ethnocide and genocide of these peoples.
In their evaluation, they say that "the moratorium on the demarcation of indigenous lands imposed by the government of the state of Mato Grosso, the use of these lands as political currency and the inaction of the federal administration are the causes of this dramatic situation."
Cimi – Indianist Missionary Council – www.cimi.org.br