Rio Violence Creeps Toward the Beach
November 29th, 2010Update: Big Picture Gallery: Rio’s Drug War
Via: Boston Globe – Big Picture:
A small war took place last week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Brazilian forces and hundreds of drug traffickers holed up in the shantytown complex dubbed Complexo do Alemão. After recent efforts by officials to pacify Rio’s drug and gang-related violence ahead of the upcoming the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics Games, drug gangs struck out last week – attacking police stations and staging mass robberies. After days of preparation, Brazilian security forces launched a raid in the Complexo do Alemão, where between 500 and 600 drug traffickers were holed up. At least 42 people were killed in the violence last week, with security forces taking control of many neighborhoods. A relatively low number of arrests were made, and authorities warn of further conflict as continue to flush out more suspects in Rio’s maze of favelas.
—End Update—
Via: BBC:
Police and gang members have clashed in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro for a fourth day, despite further raids by security forces.
At least 15 people were reported killed on Wednesday as police sought to quell the wave of gang violence.
Heavily armed men continued to stop cars and buses, rob passengers and set vehicles alight, police said.
Officials say drug traffickers are fighting back against police operations aimed at pacifying city slums.
“There are groups of criminals who have been installed here for 20, 30 years, and they might not want to give up,” said Rio state public safety director Jose Beltrame.
…
At first glance it seems to be life as normal on the famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema.
But at some of the top hotels, sightseeing trips to the favelas are no longer available. Taxi drivers have seemed noticeably tenser in the past 24 hours.
Since being in Rio I have witnessed prostitution and petty thefts on Copacabana beach.
But on Tuesday night things took on a totally different aspect, with armoured vehicles and camouflaged police out in force.
Drugs gangs have been evicted from many of the favelas and police stations have been established. The gangs are now showing the law enforcers that they have not gone away.
Now some of the recent attacks have spilled into wealthier areas closer to the beach.
“The scary part is that now it is getting close to us,” said Olga Silveira, shopping in the wealthy Ipanema neighbourhood.
