Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowed Tuesday to provide the indigenous people of southern Bahia with federal support following the most recent land dispute between farmers and the indigenous Pataxó Hã Hã Hãe people. The dispute led to the death of a indigenous leader; her brother, an indigenous chief was also shot but survived post surgery. Others suffered non-deadly injuries including a broken arm. 

According to local police, on Sunday, in the region of Itapetinga, Bahia, around 200 farmers part of the group Invasão Zero, which translates to zero invasion, mobilized with vehicles to the region after a local farm was re-claimed by the indigenous group on Saturday. Once there, the conflict quickly ensued. Two armed members of the farmer group were arrested as suspects for the death and injuries caused. An indigenous member who was carrying an “artisanal weapon” was also arrested on site. 

On X, Brazil’s Minster of Indigenous People, Sonia Gaujajara, called the “attack against the Pataxó Hã Hã Hãe people unacceptable,” denouncing the farmer group for recovering the land through “their own means without a judicial decision.” The minister stated the land occupied on Saturday by the indigenous people was “re-claimed under traditional occupation.”

The dispute follows 2023 tensions between farmers/agribusiness lobby and indigenous people regarding the controversial demarcation bill. In its most contested part, the bill would limit indigenous occupational claim rights to before the date of October 5, 1988, which is the date Brazil’s current constitution was enacted. The bill was ultimately invalidated by Brazil’s Supreme Court and vetoed in part by the president.

In 2022, Brazil’s Pastoral Commission of Lands reported 211 land conflicts in Bahia, making it the third-highest conflict region in the country.

Lula in a radio interview confirmed the federal government would be at the “disposal of the Bahia governor and indigenous people to find a solution, to resolve this matter in a peaceful manner.”