Indigenous leaders say land-grabbers are setting fires inside the Karipuna Indigenous Territory in Brazil’s Rondônia state, in the northwest Amazon. The fires come less than one month after Indigenous leaders warned authorities about renewed invasions. Satellite monitoring detected more than 90 fire alerts in the territory between Aug. 14 and Aug. 25, according to an analysis by Mongabay using data from Brazil’s space agency, INPE. “These fires are happening because of land-grabbing,” André Karipuna, the chief of the Karipuna people, told Mongabay in an audio message. “The land-grabber comes in, sections the land into lots, then clears it. First, they cut the smaller vegetation, then bigger trees. They leave it to dry and then set it on fire.” Satellites record dozens of fires across the Karipuna Indigenous Territory from Aug. 14-25. Map by Andrés Alegría/Mongabay. In July 2024, Brazil’s federal government carried out an operation to dismantle illegal access routes and other structures inside the territory. Officials reported destroying 17 bridges and 38 illegally built roads, but no one was arrested. Karipuna leaders and the global nonprofit Survival International raised the alarm about increased invasions on the land in late July 2025. According to Brazil’s Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, a federal police unit has been alerted. But as of Aug. 26, Karipuna leaders say no help has reached them on the ground.    “The Federal Police has already been called in and is monitoring fire alerts and other criminal activities in the region,” the ministry wrote to Mongabay by email.…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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