On the 20th of September Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree, which will buy more time for the militarization of the 'Legal Amazonas'*. The Occupation which was set to end today has been prolonged to the 24th of October, but further extensions are to be expected.
With this extension the armed troops have been signaled to advance over indigenous territories, environmental conservation areas and also to act on borders in order to "fight fires". This militarization, which goes under the name of Law and Order Guarantee (GLO), costs about R$ 1.5 million (around 359 thousand USD) a day and has received a fund of around R$ 2.6 billion (around 623 million USD) from Petrobras to continue.
Recently, the newspaper The Intercept has disclosed information of a new GLO, which has been planned since February. The goal of the new GLO is the permanent occupation of the Amazonas by the military!
The project, which is called "Baron of Rio Branco Project", will shift the justification for the militarization from wildfires to the presence of Chinese, NGOs and the Catholic church in the region. The project is said to "guarantee the presence of the state in the region". What this means is the initiation of works of great proportions like the construction and expansion of roads and hydroelectric dams, the exploration of ores and the conversion of soil for planting. All of this is supposed to take place in lands where agrarian conflicts are being waged!
The old and the new GLO are nothing more than part of a counterrevolutionary offensive, which wants to impose a repressive apparatus on the Amazonas. Their goal is to stop and repress the peasant struggles, which are valiantly being waged in the region. The poor and landless peasants were the parts of the population, which were the most affected by the wildfires. Many lost everything, many others even their lives. The reactionaries will stop at nothing when it comes to their interests. That's why these plans have to be seen as what they are: An attack against the poor and landless peasants and their rightful struggle!
Stop the militarization of the Amazonas!
Support the poor and landless peasants and their rightful struggle for land!
*The Legal Amazonas consists of nine regions: Mato Grosso, Rondônia, Acre, Amazonas, Roraima, Pará, Amapá, Tocantis and Maranhão.
[Sources:
https://anovademocracia.com.br/noticias/11926-bolsonaro-decreta-e-militares-passarao-mais-tempo-na-amazonia
https://theintercept.com/2019/09/20/amazon-brazil-army-bolsanaro/]