Brazil –
Police operation in favelas leaves at least five dead
Five people died on Friday during a police operation in favelas in Rio de Janeiro.
A member of the Rio de Janeiro state military police guards an entrance to the Complexo do Alemao favela during a police operation, Brazil, February 27, 2024.
AFP
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At least four men and a teenager were killed Friday during a massive police operation against organized crime in favelas in northern Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian authorities said.
Some 500 police officers and 12 armored vehicles, supported by two helicopters and several drones, entered the Complexo do Alemao and Penha favelas to combat “criminal activities, theft of vehicles and goods” in the metropolitan region. in the southeast of the country, the military police said in a statement.
The civil police for their part said they were “investigating the death of four men and a teenager during clashes”, in a message sent to AFP.
“A property containing around a ton of narcotics”
The exchanges of fire during this operation paralyzed activity in the densely populated Complexo do Alemao district, AFP journalists noted. Residents covered one of the dead with a blanket. Others tried to evacuate an injured person in a supermarket cart.
A police officer was shot and taken to hospital, with military police saying he was in “serious” condition.
-During the operation, which continued late into the night, authorities found several stolen vehicles, “property containing approximately a ton of narcotics” and several weapons. They also arrested “two suspects” and a man who had escaped from prison.
This type of approach criticized by human rights organizations
Police operations against organized crime are common in Rio’s slums, where police confront traffickers in shootouts that risk endangering the population.
Human rights organizations criticize this type of approach, which they consider ineffective against criminal organizations.
Since the start of 2025, eight people have been killed in police-involved shootings in the Rio de Janeiro region, according to the NGO Fogo Cruzado.
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