Native American members of the Sioux Tribe in North Dakota have endured water cannons and rubber bullets from police forces seeking to evict the protestors – but now they have some much-needed allies.

2,000 veterans with the Veterans Stand for Standing Rock organization have just arrived at the Standing Rock campsite to surround and protect the protestors.

Though the campsite is reportedly playing host to the maximum amount of occupants, 1,000 more veterans say that they plan on joining the protest at some point during the coming week. The 2,000 vets who just arrived plan on guarding the protestors from December 4th through to December 7th. Some plan to stay indefinitely.

The Sioux tribe have been protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline: a $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile pipeline that would stretch underneath a lake on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Not only would the DAPL threaten the safety of their water supply, but it also violates the land that is sacred to the tribe. Construction was supposed to take place through Bismark, North Dakota, but the plans were allegedly rerouted because of concern over possible water contamination.

North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple has issued a warning of eviction because of the harsh weather conditions, but Standing Rock representatives said that "they were in it for the long haul" and would not budge without resolution.

Veterans are already arriving at camp. #NoDAPL pic.twitter.com/oMdxsKxaVT

— Ruth Hopkins (@RuthHHopkins) December 1, 2016

Veterans are already arriving at camp. #NoDAPL pic.twitter.com/oMdxsKxaVT

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