"'Zero invasion': who is behind the group under investigation for the killing of Indigenous leader", 05 February 2024

...The agribusiness group “Zero Invasion”, created by big landowners from the agro sector and known for dismantling land occupations without judicial backing from Bahia state, is under investigation by the Civil Police for involvement in the death of Maria de Fátima Muniz Pataxó, popularly known as Nega Pataxó.

The Indigenous leader was shot dead on Sunday (21) during what survivors of the attack described as a “hunt” against Indigenous individuals led by the Military Police and big farmers in a tactic similar to those used by armed rural militias, as frequently seen in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Rondônia.

According to Bahia Public Security Secretariat (SSP-BA, in Portuguese), the attack – which injured some Indigenous persons – was orchestrated by the “Zero Invasion”...

“Zero Invasion”...has the support of business associations, the agribusiness and parliamentarians in the National Congress. To deal with the negative repercussions in the media after the killing of Nega Pataxó, the movement is advised by a team of experienced journalists in Brasília...

Investigated by the Civil Police for supposedly acting as a rural militia, “Invasion Zero” was funded in southern Bahia by rich and influential landowners. The group distributes leaflets to guide about the "protection of property" and claims not to act illegally, nor to condone violent acts...