SAO PAULO — SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Ministry of Indigenous Peoples said Friday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Peru’s Ministry of Culture to strengthen cooperation in protecting Indigenous territories, particularly those of isolated peoples along the border between the two countries.

The agreement, which the Brazilian government said is expected to be published in the coming weeks, has been under negotiation since 2024. It will establish a framework for sharing information and coordinating protection efforts, the ministry said.

The announcement comes after a group of Ashaninka Indigenous leaders began meetings with federal officials in Brasilia, Brazil’s capital, seeking urgent protection for their territory.

Earlier this month, five armed men carrying machine guns invaded their land, threatened families and searched for their main leaders. The Ashaninka territory spans the Brazil-Peru border in the western Amazon.

The ministry said that safeguarding Indigenous territories and the communities living there requires a “coordinated response to shared threats, such as invasions, illegal activities and pressure on traditional lands.”

Peru’s Ministry of Culture could not immediately be reached for comment.

Gangs and drug traffickers are increasingly encroaching on Ashaninka land and using the rivers in the Amazon and adjacent land for drug routes. The recent invasion is part of a broad transformation of the Amazon border as criminal routes expand, through what experts call the Solimoes River route.

Indigenous territories are key to this route. Experts say protecting Indigenous land is one of the most effective ways to curb deforestation in the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest and a key regulator of global climate. But the very forests these communities help protect leave them vulnerable: Dense tree cover in remote, hard-to-reach areas offers attractive hiding sites for drug traffickers.

The ministry also said the federal police opened an investigation into the attacks on Ashaninka territory. On Monday, they launched an operation in the region alongside state authorities.

“The operation aims to prevent and combat incursions into Indigenous territories, criminal organizations, drug trafficking, environmental crimes and other cross-border offenses,” it said.

In a separate statement, the Brazilian Army said it had reinforced its presence along the border by deploying about 30 troops to the area. Various Indigenous groups have previously criticized these deployments for being temporary while the threats remain permanent.

The Army said it continues to patrol the region and that preliminary information from Indigenous leaders and government agencies suggests the armed men were Peruvians who entered the Indigenous territory from across the border.

—-

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.