Highlights
– Armed militias gain greater control over slums outside of Rio de Janeiro
– Recent attacks on journalists and citizens spark domestic and international outrage
– Increasing violence by militias likely to continue in mid-term due to ongoing police corruption
After years of attempts to counter violent drug gangs, Brazil is battling with a new rise in armed militias, combating individuals who have taken it upon themselves to expel the gangs and regulate their illegal operations. Concentrated in the slums located around the capital of Rio de Janeiro, these militias are often comprised of off-duty police officers and firefighters looking to supplement their income through the extortion of local residents. While some residents see the militias as the lesser of two evils when compared to the drug lords, the militias appear to have merely replaced the drug violence with incidents of their own.
Economic Boom Fails to Slow Slum Growth
While Brazil has been experiencing an economic boom, ongoing violence and a corrupt police force continue to plague the capital city of Rio. New investment has not slowed the development of slums, or favelas, outside of the city, believed to now total close to 800 crime-ridden neighborhoods.
The favelas, once controlled by violent drug gangs, have come increasingly under the control of armed militias. Additionally, militias maintain connections to corrupt police officers and officials, and are often comprised of the gun-wielding off-duty policemen themselves. Pay deficiencies and low morale exists in the slums, causing police officers, firefighters and prison workers to moonlight as militia members for additional income. These groups have replaced or expelled the drug gangs in an estimated 15 percent of all slums, and taken control over many of their illegal activities. They have filled a power vacuum left after the expulsion of the drug gangs, promising residents safety in exchange for payments and the ability to take over many illegal businesses, including controlling the water and natural gas supply, running gambling syndicates, pirating cable television, and the growing drug trade. The militias continue to battle for control in the remaining slums, and ongoing violent clashes between the militias and drug gangs continue to take a toll on the legitimate police forces.
Recognizing the cons of extended violence, many residents, however, believe that the militias are a better option to the drug gangs. To this end, citizens are sympathetic and often provide support to the militias, who are responsible for battling Rio’s “barbaric” drug dealers. The militias have successfully won support from some city officials as well, who promise them safe harbor in return for ensuring votes and funding from the citizens. One assemblyman, Jairo Souza Santos, has been frequently mentioned by Brazilian media has having militia ties.
Recent Violence
However, according to legitimate police officials, the estimated 60 to 100 militias are merely replacing one form of violence with another. Attacks by the groups have been reported with increasing frequency since the beginning of May 2008.
On May 14, 2008, two Brazilian journalists from the daily O Dia decided to compose an undercover story on the rise of the militias. They entered the slum of Batan, which they believed would be safer after the ejection of its ruling drug gang in 2007. However, the two, along with their driver, were abducted by a group of six men from the militia, and tortured for over six hours. They were eventually released, and remain in hiding outside of the state of Rio after receiving death threats from the group. On June 17, 2008, a police officer accused of leading the militia turned himself in. Odinei Fernando da Silva allegedly controls the militia in Bantan, but he has denied any role in the journalists’ kidnappings. He has not been formally charged at this time, but will remain in police custody for 30 days.
The incident of the journalists’ has sparked public outrage, and international rights groups are urging Brazil’s police force to crackdown on their own members potentially responsible. Rio’s police force is hesitant to punish its own officers, as the force has a history of violent retaliation. Out of the nearly 100 local precincts in Rio, only the state police organized crime unit is actively investigating the militias. Soldiers have been deployed to help quell violence in these areas, but have been given warnings that they are not trained to do police work.
Ongoing Circle of Violence
The attack on the journalists has placed the issue of favela violence by the militias in the media spotlight, and the increased attention will likely quiet violence in the near-term. However, after the increased police presence following the attack in Batan is recalled, a new militia group will likely step in to continue running the illegal operations.
Extortion of the slum residents is likely to continue in the mid-term, as police dishonesty will hinder any attempts at a security crackdown. Police corruption in Rio will remain a long-term problem, until Brazil’s new economic growth can be translated into higher wages and better living conditions.