Post by : Rameen Ariff

Rio de Janeiro: What began as a large-scale police operation in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas has turned into one of Brazil’s deadliest security crackdowns in decades. At least 132 people were killed — including 115 suspects and four policemen — after a violent raid targeting the powerful Red Command gang, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

The Rio police raid, carried out by nearly 2,500 officers and soldiers, swept through the densely populated neighborhoods of Penha and Complexo de Alemao, areas long known for gang control and poverty. Authorities initially reported 60 deaths, but the toll soared as more bodies were found in nearby wooded zones.

According to Felipe Curi, Rio’s state police secretary, the additional victims were discovered wearing camouflage and armed, suggesting they had fought back. However, residents claim otherwise, alleging that several victims were executed after being captured. “We saw people shot in the back, in the head, even tied up,” said local activist Raull Santiago, calling the raid a massacre rather than a security operation.

As forensic teams arrived, anger erupted among residents who gathered around the bodies displayed in Penha’s main square. Many shouted “justice” and accused the government of treating poor communities as war zones.

Authorities said the raid seized 93 rifles and over half a ton of drugs, with 113 arrests made. The Red Command gang, one of Brazil’s most organized crime networks, allegedly used drones to attack police, escalating the intensity of the confrontation.

Governor Claudio Castro defended the Rio police raid, declaring that the state is “at war against narco-terrorism.” He criticized the federal government for insufficient support, while the Justice Ministry insisted it had already reinforced Rio’s police forces multiple times.

Human rights groups and the United Nations have called for a transparent investigation into what they describe as “an alarming use of excessive force.”

This is not the first time Rio has witnessed bloodshed from police operations. In 2005, 29 people were killed in the Baixada Fluminense region, and in 2021, 28 were killed in Jacarezinho favela. But this week’s death toll — 132 — marks the worst in Rio’s modern history.

Critics argue that these repeated crackdowns achieve little in curbing organized crime. Filipe dos Anjos, from the favela rights organization FAFERJ, said: “In thirty days, the gangs will reorganize, and the cycle will continue. These operations change nothing for the people.”

As Rio de Janeiro mourns and demands answers, the Rio police raid stands as a grim reminder of Brazil’s ongoing struggle between state power and street survival — a war fought not just with guns, but with lives caught in between.

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