Brazil's President Lula Deploys Military to Key Airports, Ports, and Borders amid Rising Organized Crime

Deployment of 3,600 armed forces in response to gang retaliation and increasing unrest; part of a broader federal plan to suffocate militias and enhance security.

• President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has decided to send the armed forces to bolster security at key airports, ports, and international borders in Brazil in response to escalating organized crime activities.
• The decision to mobilize 3,600 members of the army, navy, and air force followed a series of criminal retaliatory actions, including setting fire to dozens of buses in Rio de Janeiro after the police killed a gang leader’s nephew.
• Part of a broader government plan, the deployment aims at stifling militias by targeting their financial resources, enhancing the number of federal police forces in Rio, improving inter-agency law enforcement cooperation, and prioritizing investment in advanced technology for intelligence collection.
• The organized crime issue is rooted in decades of public security problems in Rio and requires an extensive plan for a federal crackdown, the effects of which may only be visible after several years, as per Rafael Alcadipani, a public security analyst and professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.
• Brazil's Justice Minister Flávio Dino says the current measures, initiated soon after Lula assumed office and following months of consultations with law enforcement, local officials, and public security experts, are part of an ongoing plan to deal with the problem.

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