Brazil’s Armed Forces will operate in 26 municipalities to curb deforestation

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Operations will focus four states: Amazonia, Rondônia, Pará and Mato Grosso.

The National Council for the Legal Amazon, led by Vice-President Hamilton Mourão, on Tuesday, July 6, announced a list of 26 municipalities that will be the focus of the Armed Forces’ actions in the prevention and repression of environmental crimes.

The details of Operation Samaúma, as the new military incursion into the region has been named, were announced during a meeting between Mourão and federal government Ministers at the Operational and Management Center of the Amazon Protection System (CENSIPAM), in Brasília. The meeting was not open to the press.

In addition to the vice-president, also present were Ministers Braga Netto (Defense), Bento Alburquerque (Mines and Energy), Joaquim Álvaro Pereira Leite (Environment) and officials from the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety (MJSP), Institutional Security Cabinet (GSI), Ministry of Agriculture, and Chief of Staff.

The authorization for the deployment of the Armed Forces in the Legal Amazon was granted by president Jair Bolsonaro on June 28, through a Decree of Law and Order Assurance Operations (GLO). The period covered by the decree ranges from June 28 to August 31.

The choice of priority municipalities was made by the National Council for the Legal Amazon management group based on the largest annual number of deforestation alerts.

In Amazonas, the municipalities of Apuí, Boca do Acre, Canutama, Humaitá, Lábrea, Manicoré and Novo Aripuanã were selected.

In Mato Grosso, actions will be focused in Apiacás, Aripuanã, Colniza, Cotriguaçú, Marcelândia, Nova Bandeirantes, Peixoto de Azevedo, and Paranaíta.

In Pará, the municipalities of Altamira, Itaituba, Jacareacanga, Novo Progresso, São Félix do Xingu and Trairão will be inspected.

In Rondônia, actions will take place in Candeias do Jamari, Cujubim, Itapuã do Oeste, Machadinho D’Oeste, and Porto Velho.

According to the decree, the actions of the military will exclusively cover areas owned or possessed by the federal government, such as indigenous lands, federal preservation areas, and federal properties, among others.

Actions in other areas may only be conducted provided there is a request from the respective state governor to the president of the Republic, which has already been done in the case of Rondônia.

Since 2019, two Armed Forces operations in the Amazon have been authorized – Verde Brasil 1 and 2. The most recent of these ended in April.