“Brazil: Guarani teenagers feared dead as ranchers’ warfare intensifies”, 27 October 2015

Two Guarani teenagers are feared dead amidst a wave of attacks on indigenous communities in west-central Brazil…[They]…went missing earlier this month during an attack on their community…by ranchers’ gunmen…[who]…beat up several community members, tore out women’s hair, and shot at the Indians. The Guarani reported that a police squad stationed nearby was aware the violence was unfolding, but failed to intervene…Ranchers are systematically targeting Guarani communities in an attempt to keep them off their land. Last month, Guarani leader Semião Vilhalva was assassinated by gunmen, and Guarani of Pyelito Kuê community were kidnapped and beaten up before being dumped by the side of a road. Whilst the ranchers earn huge profits from sugar cane, corn, soya and cattle on the Guarani’s ancestral land, the Indians are forced to live in appalling conditions in roadside camps and overcrowded reserves, where malnutrition, disease and suicide are rife. Their leaders…are attempting to reoccupy their…territories…[and]…being assassinated…The Brazilian constitution stipulates that all indigenous lands should have been recognized by 1993, but thousands of Guarani are still waiting…Politicians are…debating a constitutional amendment which…would set indigenous rights back decades…