Rio de Janeiro favelas are in mourning and bracing for an uncertain future following a deadly police raid aimed at dismantling the Red Command gang,with families beginning to bury their dead Thursday as the scale of loss becomes clear. the operation,intended to capture gang leaders and curb the group’s expanding territorial control,has left residents shaken and fearing further instability in already vulnerable communities.
The recent escalation of violence underscores a growing crisis in Rio’s favelas, where criminal organizations like the Red Command exert significant influence, impacting daily life and eroding trust in authorities. The gang’s reach has extended beyond Rio in recent years, even penetrating the Amazon rainforest, posing a broader threat to regional security. This latest raid and its aftermath raise critical questions about the long-term effectiveness of heavy-handed policing tactics and the need for lasting solutions addressing the root causes of crime and inequality.
“Now comes a sense of great fragility,” one resident observed, reflecting the pervasive anxiety gripping the communities.
The operation’s objectives centered on apprehending key figures within the Red Command and limiting the gang’s expansion, which has steadily increased its grip on favelas in recent years. Paulo Roberto, a 16-year-old street vendor at the Maracana football stadium, expressed concern about the impact on the city’s image. “People from outside are going to see this going on in favelas and aren’t going to want to come anymore. It makes us look bad,” he said.
Among those mourned was Cauan Fernandes do Carmo Soares, 22, whose relatives carried white flowers as they followed his coffin to a cemetery in Rio’s northern zone.”These boys have a father,a mother,sisters and brothers,” said Grasiele,Fernandes do carmo Soares’ sister,before the wake. “My family is destroyed.”
A police officer was also among the deceased, buried Thursday morning in Rio’s western zone.
