Thirteen individuals have lost their lives in gang-related violence over the last four days in Porto Velho, the capital of Rondonia state in the Brazilian Amazon. The clashes between gang members and law enforcement have raised concerns regarding the increasing influence of gangs in the region.
In these recent events, eight casualties resulted from criminal gang attacks, while five occurred during confrontations with the police since Tuesday morning, as reported by Rondonia's security department.
The criminals ignited 20 buses, predominantly from schools, likely in protest against police actions. This led authorities to impose limitations on public transportation availability hours and assign police escorts to city buses.
Responding to the crisis, the federal government deployed national public security force troops to Rondonia to assist the state police in controlling the surge of violence for a minimum of 90 days.
According to the Porto Velho police, the assaults are seen as retaliation by the Comando Vermelho criminal faction against police activities in a housing complex under the gang's control in the city, as reported by G1 news portal.
Despite its origins in Rio de Janeiro, the Comando Vermelho has emerged as the dominant gang in the Amazon region in recent years, displacing thousands of miles. Recent data from the Brazilian Public Security Forum highlighted a rapid increase in crime rates in the Amazon, the habitat of the largest rainforest globally. In 2023, the region recorded 34 homicides per 100,000 people, nearly double the national average.
While the Amazon region has long grappled with land conflicts due to agricultural expansion into the forest, the current violence is attributed to gang rivalries seeking control over important routes connecting cocaine producers with markets, stated Renato Sergio de Lima, the president of the think tank.
As police investigations reveal, Rondonia shares a border with Bolivia, a vital cocaine source, with the state emerging as a crucial narcotics trafficking passage. Over the past decade, authorities have seized 20 tons of cocaine in Rondonia, one of the highest confiscation volumes in the country.
Lima pointed out that the Amazon provides an ideal breeding ground for criminal activities, with gangs enforcing their dominion and rules in the region unchallenged. He emphasized, "Eventually, the police intervene."