Brazil and Peru sign pact to protect Ashaninka Indigenous lands on Amazon border

Brazil’s Ministry of Indigenous Peoples and Peru’s Ministry of Culture have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on the protection of Indigenous territories along their shared Amazon border, focusing on the Ashaninka community. The agreement, pending publication, creates a framework for information‑sharing and coordinated actions against illegal incursions. It follows an incident earlier this month when five armed men entered Ashaninka lands, threatened families and searched for community leaders. Federal police have opened an investigation, launched an operation with state authorities, and the Brazilian Army has deployed about 30 troops to the area. Officials say criminal gangs and drug traffickers are expanding along the Solimões River route, using remote forest cover as a haven, which also threatens deforestation control and regional climate regulation. Indigenous leaders have described the situation as their villages being taken hostage and have appealed to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for urgent protection.