In one of the bloodiest police operations in Brazil’s recent history, around 2,500 police and soldiers stormed Rio de Janeiro’s favelas on Tuesday, killing at least 60 suspected gang members and four police officers, and arresting 81 people, officials said.
The large-scale raid targeted the Red Command, one of the country’s most powerful drug cartels, in the impoverished neighborhoods of Complexo do Alemão and Penha. Heavily armed officers backed by helicopters and armored vehicles took part in the operation, which authorities said followed a year-long investigation.
Rio state Governor Claudio Castro described the raid as the biggest in the city’s history, saying the suspects were “neutralized” after resisting police action. Authorities also reported seizing 93 rifles and over half a ton of narcotics.
Human rights organizations condemned the raid and demanded a thorough investigation into the high death toll. The UN human rights office said it was “horrified” by the incident and reminded Brazilian authorities of their obligations under international law.
César Muñoz, Brazil director at Human Rights Watch, called the killings a “huge tragedy” and urged prosecutors to investigate every death.
Footage circulating on social media showed fires and smoke rising from the densely populated communities as gunfire echoed through the area. City officials closed 46 schools, while the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro suspended evening classes and instructed students and staff to shelter in place.
Local media reported that gang members retaliated by blocking major roads and setting buses on fire, causing widespread transport disruption. The city’s bus operators said about 70 vehicles were hijacked and damaged.
Governor Castro, a member of the opposition Liberal Party, criticized President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government for not doing enough to support state-level crime-fighting efforts. In response, senior officials in Brasília convened an emergency meeting to discuss the escalating violence.
Experts said the size and death toll of Tuesday’s raid set it apart from previous police operations. “These are war numbers,” said Luis Flavio Sapori, a public safety analyst. “Such raids rarely dismantle organized crime networks—they only eliminate low-ranking members who are quickly replaced.”
The Marielle Franco Institute, a rights organization founded in memory of a slain Rio councilwoman, denounced the police tactics, calling the raid “a policy of extermination” that turns life in the city’s poor, predominantly Black neighborhoods into “a daily Russian roulette.”
Tuesday’s assault added to Rio’s long history of deadly police crackdowns, including the 2021 Jacarezinho raid that killed 28 people and the 2005 Baixada Fluminense massacre, which left 29 dead.
Source: AP