Brazil:  Police Raid Rio Favelas

Police in armored vehicles and helicopters at 0400 yesterday launched mega-raids in favelas (slums) in Rio de Janeiro’s western zone controlled by criminal gangs.
 
At least nine deaths were reported.
 
The favelas targeted in the operation were Rio das Pedras, Terreirao, Cesar Maia/Corado Cidade de Deus, Muzema, Gardenia Azul, Tijuquinha, Fontel, Morro do Banco and Sitio dei Pai Joao.
 
Some are in easy striking distance of affluent neighborhoods.  Muzema, for example, lies between the districts of Sao Conrado and Gavea.
 
Police from time to time stage major operations against gangsters in Rio favelas in a bid to keep in check drug trafficking and other criminal activity.  But their efforts to impose order on the sprawling slums have been largely unsuccessful.
 
In some instances, criminal gangs merely have been replaced by militias made up of former members of the security forces that take over drug trafficking and other illegal activities and terrorize residents.
 
About 15 shootouts between rival gangs or between gangs and police take place in Rio in an average day.  Most occur inside favelas or on their fringes, but it is not unusual for passersby and other innocents to be hit by stray rounds, including while driving on major roads.
 
Volunteers have designed an app that helps residents and visitors avoid shootouts.  The app, which relies on informants throughout Rio, is called Onde Tem Tiroteio (Where’s the shootout).  The alerts, which circulate on X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, Telegram and Facebook, reach nearly three million people, about half the city’s population.
 
The use of this app is recommended for anyone spending appreciable time in Rio.  It is also wise to monitor local news and give the widest possible berth to areas in which violence has been reported.  Personnel should shelter in place when violence erupts.
 
Under no circumstances should personnel enter favelas.  Newcomers should not drive themselves for fear of entering them by mistake.
 
Visitors should not book favela tours, which have become increasingly popular.