Brazil's armed forces to police Rio amid security crisis
Troops began deploying Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the city's famed carnival to boost security following violent anti-austerity protests and low morale among police.
The defense ministry announced late Monday that "from this moment, the defense ministry is mobilizing troops" in Brazil's second biggest city.
There were no details about the scope of the deployment but Defense Minister Raul Jungmann was to give a press conference Tuesday.
The decision to send in the army comes as relatives of police officers in Rio continued to attempt to blockade several stations in protest at conditions and late payment of salaries. Street police are barred by the constitution from demonstrating.
However, the tactic of relatives camping outside stations to paralyze the officers' movements has recently been employed across Espiritu Santo state to the north of Rio, sparking a complete breakdown in law and order.
The protest movement was on a much smaller scale in Rio, but several bases, including the headquarters of the elite Shock Battalion riot police, have been partially shut down for days. Police officials acknowledge that morale is low but have warned officers not to strike.
An insufficient number of police was widely blamed for violence at a Botafogo-Flamengo football match on Sunday in Rio where one person was shot dead and seven others were injured.
Rio de Janeiro is also on edge after violent crackdowns over the last two weeks by riot police against demonstrators protesting the planned privatization of the state water utility. More protests were expected this week.
Adding to the security challenge, February is carnival season and big street parties take place every day, building up to parades by the city's top rival samba schools on February 26-27.
Most of the violence has been centered in the poorer areas of metropolitan Vitoria, the state capital with about 2 million people living in the region dominated by the mining, petroleum and port industries.
According to the police union, 144 murders have taken place since the strike started on Feb. 4. Security officials say most of the deaths are linked to the drug trade, though bystanders have also been killed. The death toll in the past day, however, dropped significantly, though still was twice the normal rate.
The state has yet to make any concessions to the officers regarding their monthly pay, which at about 2,700 reais ($867) is among the lowest in Brazil.
Instead, the officers heeded the call of Defense Minister Raul Jungmann, who visited Vitoria Saturday and strongly urged officers to do their duty, saying if they refused they were siding with the criminals carrying out the killings. Troops are frequently used in Brazil to augment the frequently stretched police or to quell crime waves. They were sent into Espiritu Santo to replace the striking police and have also been deployed in large numbers in Rio for recent legislative elections and during the 2016 Olympics.
Under Brazilian law, it is illegal for police to strike, which is why their family members have taken action to physically prevent police cars leaving barracks. The police themselves have not tried to remove their families, leading to fears among some of the relatives that soldiers could try to remove them by force.
In neighboring Rio de Janeiro state, family members have also protested outside nearly 30 battalions, mostly in the metropolitan Rio city area where some 12 million people reside. Security officials have said their actions have had little impact on policing, with some 95 percent of officers at work.
The defense ministry announced late Monday that "from this moment, the defense ministry is mobilizing troops" in Brazil's second biggest city.
There were no details about the scope of the deployment but Defense Minister Raul Jungmann was to give a press conference Tuesday.
The decision to send in the army comes as relatives of police officers in Rio continued to attempt to blockade several stations in protest at conditions and late payment of salaries. Street police are barred by the constitution from demonstrating.
However, the tactic of relatives camping outside stations to paralyze the officers' movements has recently been employed across Espiritu Santo state to the north of Rio, sparking a complete breakdown in law and order.
The protest movement was on a much smaller scale in Rio, but several bases, including the headquarters of the elite Shock Battalion riot police, have been partially shut down for days. Police officials acknowledge that morale is low but have warned officers not to strike.
An insufficient number of police was widely blamed for violence at a Botafogo-Flamengo football match on Sunday in Rio where one person was shot dead and seven others were injured.
Rio de Janeiro is also on edge after violent crackdowns over the last two weeks by riot police against demonstrators protesting the planned privatization of the state water utility. More protests were expected this week.
Adding to the security challenge, February is carnival season and big street parties take place every day, building up to parades by the city's top rival samba schools on February 26-27.
Most of the violence has been centered in the poorer areas of metropolitan Vitoria, the state capital with about 2 million people living in the region dominated by the mining, petroleum and port industries.
According to the police union, 144 murders have taken place since the strike started on Feb. 4. Security officials say most of the deaths are linked to the drug trade, though bystanders have also been killed. The death toll in the past day, however, dropped significantly, though still was twice the normal rate.
The state has yet to make any concessions to the officers regarding their monthly pay, which at about 2,700 reais ($867) is among the lowest in Brazil.
Instead, the officers heeded the call of Defense Minister Raul Jungmann, who visited Vitoria Saturday and strongly urged officers to do their duty, saying if they refused they were siding with the criminals carrying out the killings. Troops are frequently used in Brazil to augment the frequently stretched police or to quell crime waves. They were sent into Espiritu Santo to replace the striking police and have also been deployed in large numbers in Rio for recent legislative elections and during the 2016 Olympics.
Under Brazilian law, it is illegal for police to strike, which is why their family members have taken action to physically prevent police cars leaving barracks. The police themselves have not tried to remove their families, leading to fears among some of the relatives that soldiers could try to remove them by force.
In neighboring Rio de Janeiro state, family members have also protested outside nearly 30 battalions, mostly in the metropolitan Rio city area where some 12 million people reside. Security officials have said their actions have had little impact on policing, with some 95 percent of officers at work.