Brasília, 3/31/2004 (Agência Brasil) - The state of Pará, located in the Amazon region (at the mouth of the Amazon River), was the Brazilian champion of violence in the countryside with the highest number of land conflict deaths in 2003. According to the country's agrarian ombudsman, Gersino José da Silva, nineteen rural workers died in the state last year because of land disputes. That is almost 50% of all land conflict deaths in Brazil (the total for 2003 was 42).

Silva, in testimony before a congressional investigation committee (CPI) on violence in the countryside and land disputes, declared that the numbers show that the North region has become the most violent area of land ownership conflicts. In second place is the Central-West region, with five deaths in 2003. The Northeast had four land dispute deaths, and the South region had two. And, although 14% of Brazil's land ownership disputes take place in the Southeast region, there were no deaths in that region in 2003.

According to the ombudsman, the solution for the problem (which has claimed a total of 285 lives since 1995) is a National Program to Combat Violence in the Countryside. That program will consist of a package of measures presently being drawn up and scheduled to be concluded and presented to president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva by the minister of Human Rights, Nilmário Miranda, in April.
(Translator: Allen Bennett)