Brazil's Lula recognizes Indigenous territories halted by Bolsonaro

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gestures along Brazil's Indigenous Peoples Minister Sonia Guajajara, during the closing of the Terra Livre (Free Land) camp, a protest camp to demand the demarcation of land and to defend cultural rights, in Brasilia, Brazil April 28, 2023. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva legally recognized six Indigenous territories on Friday, fulfilling a campaign promise to reverse the policy of his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro said Brazil's original people had too much land.

The recognition is crucial to protect Indigenous lands from increasing encroachment by farming and invasions by gold miners and loggers in the Amazon rainforest.