"Rio de Janeiro in a state of war": this is the headline in Brazilian media following the major operation launched by Governor Cláudio Castro, of Bolsonaro's Liberal Party, against the Comando Vermelho, the city's main criminal faction. The operation proved to be the deadliest in the state's history, with the death toll continuing to rise, now standing at 138. At least 74 bodies collected in the last few hours from residents in the communities comprising the Alemão and Penha complexes have joined the 60 bodies of suspected drug traffickers and four police officers killed during the raids.

The bodies were found primarily in a densely forested area called Misericordia Hill, where the fiercest clashes took place. Military Police Secretary Marcelo Menezes explained the situation at a press conference this morning. Anticipating the escape of the suspected traffickers toward the hilltop region where the favela developed—after the first military vehicles arrived at the main entrances—security forces organized a "wall" in this area, using officers from the Special Operations Battalion (BOPE). The clashes lasted for hours, further increasing the death toll. Menezes stated that the suspects who decided to surrender were arrested. At the end of the operation, no authorities reached the area, and it was residents who collected the bodies, which were then laid out side by side in São Lucas Square.

The remains, many disfigured, were displayed to facilitate their families' identification, including through tattoos and the clothing they were wearing when the clashes began at dawn yesterday morning. The bodies will then be transported to the medical examiner's office for further examination. The investigation will then determine whether all the deceased had any involvement with the Comando Vermelho—a criminal organization targeted by the police—or whether they were victims of stray bullets. Menezes assured that "collateral damage has been limited."

Despite the death toll, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has decided not to send the Armed Forces to Rio de Janeiro for now. According to Justice and Public Security Minister Ricardo Lewandowski, "The Guarantee of Public Order must first be requested by the governor of Rio; this is not a spontaneous initiative by the President, and the governor must acknowledge the inability of the local forces to address this emergency."

(Unioneonline)

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