The raid by 2,500 agents in the Penha and Alemão favelas, in Rio de Janeiro, became the deadliest action in the city’s recent history. Governor Cláudio Castro speaks of “a war” and asks for support from Lula da Silva’s government
The favelas of Rio de Janeiro woke up under crossfire on Tuesday. Some 2,500 civil and military police entered the Penha and Alemão complexes, with the aim of capturing the main leaders of the Comando Vermelho (CV), the most powerful criminal organization in the state and one of the oldest in Brazil.
The official toll until the night was 64 deaths, including 60 alleged criminals and four agents, in addition to 81 detainees. Authorities warned that the number of victims could increase, as clashes continued in some sectors.
The governor of Rio, Cláudio Castro, defined the action as “the largest offensive ever carried out against the Red Command.” The operation, coordinated by the Civil and Military Police, sought to neutralize leaders dedicated to drug and weapons trafficking who, according to intelligence reports, were trying to expand to the northern area of the city.
The agents seized more than 50 assault rifles, ammunition and a “huge amount” of drugs, Castro confirmed to CNN Brazil. Images spread on social networks showed scenes of war: armored vehicles advancing through alleys, helicopters flying over zinc roofs and columns of smoke over the hills. According to the regional leader, the members of the CV used armed drones and barricades to prevent the police advance.
Castro affirmed that Río “is alone” and demanded support from the Armed Forces and the federal government. “This is a war that has nothing to do with public security,” he declared when requesting support from the Executive of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The operation affected urban transportation. The RioOnibus company reported that at least 50 buses were stolen and used by drug traffickers to block streets and avenues. Some routes were modified and long lines were recorded at metro and metropolitan train stations. Mayor Eduardo Paes assured that the services remain operational and that “Rio cannot become a hostage to criminal groups.”
The Red Command, founded in the 1970s inside a Rio prison, maintains control over large areas of the favelas and has extended its influence to other states, including the Amazon. The magnitude of Tuesday’s operation reveals the difficulty of the Brazilian State in dismantling a criminal structure with almost five decades of history.
The deployment occurs a few weeks before two international events: the C40 mayors’ forum, which will be held in Rio, and the COP30 world climate conference, scheduled for Belém from November 10 to 21. According to sources cited by Reuters, the government seeks to reinforce the security image before these events, although the human toll of the operation opens a political and social debate.
Human rights organizations denounced possible police abuses. Human Rights Watch (HRW) Brazil described the incursion as a “disaster” and asked the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the circumstances of “each death.”
Although Castro insisted that the State “will not retreat from drug trafficking,” the number of victims revives the controversy over the use of force in the favelas. In the absence of definitive figures, the operation is already among the deadliest in the history of Rio de Janeiro.
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With information from France 24EFE, AP and Reuters.
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