Largest Brazil favela cordoned off by 950 Army men
Brazil's Defense Minister Raul Jungmann
On his Twitter account, Brazil's Defense Minister Raul Jungmann announced that 950 men and 10 armored vehicles from the Army's police force are engaged in the crackdown to cordon off the Rocinha favela, in south Rio de Janeiro, today (Sep. 22). The request had been made by Rio State Governor Luiz Fernando Pezão.
“We're not slacking off in Rocinha. This is the fifth day of operations. We have discovered a significant amount of weaponry and drugs, as well as evidence of drug traffickers in a region we've advanced upon. We're sure that the response outside of the favela comes as a result of that,” said the governor, referring to the crossfire between police and drug dealers this morning.
The shanty town has been the target of Military Police operations on a daily basis since last Sunday (17), when clashes broke out between rival gangs over the control of drug trafficking spots.
After a meeting with Rio's State Security Secretary Roberto Sá, General Mauro Sinott, commander of the Army's 1st Division, said that the Armed Forces will also help in traffic control in the area surrounding Rocinha both on the streets and in the air.
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Largest Brazil favela cordoned off by 950 Army men
