Militant Mapuche groups in Chile are entering a challenging new phase under the administration of far-right President José Antonio Kast, as the government intensifies its crackdown on violent land disputes in the country’s south. Following years of land occupations, sabotage, and clashes with police, Mapuche activists now face longer prison sentences and heightened militarization.

Reuters was granted rare access to Fundo Pidenco, a key site of Mapuche resistance, as well as several other communities where security forces and state authorities have limited presence. These visits offered insight into a movement under increasing pressure amid Kast’s promises to restore order in the long-standing conflict over indigenous lands.

The Mapuche, Chile’s largest Indigenous group, comprise nearly 9 percent of the national population, or about 1.6 million people, and are the only Indigenous group in the Americas to have negotiated an independence treaty with Spain after centuries of resistance. Much of their ancestral territory in southern Chile remained outside state control until the late 19th century. Land dispossession accelerated under the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet from 1973 to 1990, when large swaths were transferred to forestry companies, reversing earlier land reforms under socialist President Salvador Allende. Between 1974 and 1994, nearly 1.7 million hectares—much of it Mapuche land—were converted into commercial plantations of eucalyptus and pine.

While some Mapuche communities have pursued legal channels, including state-backed land purchases, others have continued to reclaim territory through occupations and acts of sabotage. Activists have targeted forestry companies by setting fire to vehicles and infrastructure, as well as attacking churches, tourist sites, and landowner properties. The Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco (CAM), the most prominent armed group, advocates recovering land “metre by metre” and establishing Wallmapu, an independent Mapuche state with its own government and institutions.

CAM leaders assert that their actions are directed only at company property, not civilians. Nevertheless, clashes between activists, security forces, and landowners have resulted in approximately 40 deaths over the last three decades. Since 2022, large areas of southern Chile have been under a state of emergency amid escalating violence. Former leftist President Gabriel Boric sought dialogue to resolve the conflict but resorted to a temporary state of emergency after attacks against officials increased. His government repeatedly extended security measures as violence persisted.

Since taking office, Kast has sharply increased security operations in Mapuche territories, deploying troops, armored vehicles, and police raids. In May, authorities conducted a major operation in Temucuicui, a symbolic stronghold of Mapuche resistance, detaining five activists including community spokesperson Jorge Huenchullan. His brother, Jaime Huenchullan, criticized the growing militarization, saying it has exacerbated resentment and radicalized younger generations. “The militarization here has been going on for a little over four years, and it’s intensifying every day,” he said, describing frequent vehicle stops and the questioning of children en route to school.

Mapuche leaders have condemned the government’s increased prosecutions and longer prison sentences as political persecution designed to suppress their movement. One of the most notable prisoners is Héctor Llaitul, CAM’s founder, serving a 23-year sentence for attacks on authorities, timber theft, and violent land occupations. Fifteen years of his sentence relate to incitement of violence. Through his lawyer, Llaitul called these prosecutions “a tool of political persecution” aimed at subjugating and eradicating Mapuche resistance.

Government authorities defend the convictions as necessary for curbing violence in the region. Kast’s office referred inquiries about the crackdown to the Interior Ministry, which did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Indigenous organizations estimate that about 150,000 hectares of land are currently occupied by Mapuche communities, while a local business group estimates some 12,700 hectares remain beyond effective state control. Fundo Pidenco, covering approximately 2,500 hectares, is among these contested properties. The landowner family opposes a nearby hydroelectric project on the Biobio River, citing threats to old-growth forests. The escalating conflict highlights the complex and deeply rooted tensions over land, identity, and state authority in southern Chile.