Indigenous activists in Brazil have staged sit-ins outside the Supreme Court and marched on Congress and the presidential palace, demanding the demarcation of their lands and opposing the Fail Grown Railway project. The proposed railway would connect Brazil’s grain-producing regions to ports over 1,000 kilometres away in Pará state, cutting freight costs by up to 40 percent and speeding exports to buyers like China. However, tribal leaders warn that whilst the railway may not cross their territories directly, it would trigger deforestation, illegal mining and land grabbing. Earlier this year, indigenous protesters occupied a Cargill port terminal for 33 days, forcing the government to revoke a decree opening waterways to private companies. Leaders say they will build villages on the railway route if the court approves construction without consultation.

Al Jazeera’s Manu Yannaki reports from Brasilia, Brazil.

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