Masked gunmen kill Brazilian native leader

A murderous dispute over natives occupying their lands has broken out in Brazil.

Survival International reports that masked gunmen executed an Indian religious leader in front of his community.

Gunmen surrounded Nísio Gomes and ordered his community to lie on the ground. He was shot in the head, chest, arms and legs and his body was taken away.

Gomes is believed to have been the main target of this attack, although Survivial International has heard other unconfirmed reports of children being kidnapped and a woman being killed.

Gomes was the leader of a group of Guarani Indians who returned to part of their ancestral land in the southern state of Mato Grosso do Sul at the start of November, after they had been evicted by cattle ranchers.

Members of the community say this is not the first time they have been attacked since their return, and that gunmen had been circling their roadside camp since Wednesday.

It seems unbelievable that "wild west" actions are still happening and Indigenous peoples being killed for their lands and resources today.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 20th, 2011 at 8:30 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.