New Yankee military exercise in the Amazonia shows the militarization of Brazil
Featured image: Brazilian army in a military exercise in Amazonas. Source: Antonio Cruz (Agência Brasil)
On October 22, the Brazilian newspaper A Nova Democracia reported on a new military exercise conducted jointly between the Yankee Imperialist Army and the Brazilian Army. This is not the first time that the Yankee army crosses the borders and performs military exercises in Brazil, being the Core 23 an exercise that has been carried out jointly since 2015.
The need of the United States to intensify its exercises against the increasing wave of peasants that rise to struggle for the land in Brazil is evident. It is no coincidence that for the exercise this year it has been decided to carry it out in such a strategic and such important area for the struggle of the poor peasants such as the territory of the Amazonia. As explained by the Brazilian newspaper: “After all, the Amazonia has been registered, year after year, as the central scenario of the struggle for the land in Brazil, with the highest concentrations of conflicts of the struggle in the reports of the Pastoral Commission of the Land. In 2023, there were 1,521 conflicts in the region, which mobilized 181,304 peasant families. In this way, the Amazonia territory is strategic not only from a more classic military point of view (border territory, with access to the sea and full of vast natural wealth, from minerals and oil to medicinal plants used in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industry), also, and mainly, from a political point of view. And, in the case of the Yankees, the security of their imperialist domination, reinforced by constant counterrevolutionary and counter-insurgency operations, agreed and guaranteed with exemplary obedience by their Brazilian lackeys.”
This is just another example of the militarization that is being carried out by the Brazilian State. We have already translated another article by A Nova Democracia, on other military operations carried out, such as the Amazonialog conducted in 2017 with the reactionary armies of Peru and Colombia, under the supervision of the Yankee army or another military exercise in Rondônia in 2020 under the supervision of former Secretary of State and the former CIA agent, Mike Pompeo. It is also shown in the increase in the budget for military expenses, which total more than 53 million Brazilian Reais.
Meanwhile, the peasants continue to experience more and more attacks by landowners. For example, on October 21, Repórter Brasil also reported that the Canabrava company placed a guardhouse to prevent peasants from entering the community of São Marcelo. The peasants have experienced continuous attacks, being fired and even seeing their homes being burned by the landowner. One of the peasants said: “We are like a pigeon in a cage. We live on an island, we are surrounded [AND adds: by land hoarders]. Some guys that live far away come and want to evict the poor inhabitants of the riverbank. Do you think it’s not sad, boys?”
