Thais Leitão, Cristiane Ribeiro and Vladimir Platanow       Reporters Agência Brasil

Rio de Janeiro – On Sunday, September 4, a conflict between inhabitants of the Complexo do Alemão slum and the police turned into a riot.

The Complexo do Alemão, a huge slum in Rio de Janeiro, was “invaded” by heavily armed police and army soldiers, known as Pacification Police Units (“UPPs” or “Força de Pacificação”), at the end of last year. The UPPs drove drug lords out of the slum without firing a shot and since then have been replaced by regular police and social assistance units. The UPP program is slowly “pacifying” Rio slums (more than a dozen so far) and then making government services available to the inhabitants. However, the program has not been completely without problems.

On Sunday, in the Complexo do Alemão slum, police asked a large, unruly group of people watching a soccer match to reduce the noise, which they refused to do. Bottles, rocks and other objects were thrown at UPP members who fired rubber bullets and used pepper spray. A number of people were injured.

On Monday, September 5, there was another conflict between police and inhabitants; this time, motorcycle taxi drivers (their vehicles are the only ones that can navigate many of the winding narrow alleys in the upper parts of the slum) refused to obey the police. Shortly after the second confrontation, some inhabitants demonstrated in favor of the UPP leaving the slum. Government attorneys were sent into the area to investigate the incidents.

On September 6, Tuesday, for the first time since the end of last year when the area was occupied by the UPP, shots were fired into the Complexo do Alemão slum (they seemed to come from other slums, known as Favela da Grota, Morro do Baiana and Morro do Adeus). Immediately, some 50 UPP soldiers, armed with rifles, were mobilized and closed off the Complexo do Alemão, setting up barriers and checkpoints at entrances to the slum. The shooting started around 7:30 pm near a cable car station, known as Itararé Estação. It seems that drug lords, expelled from Complexo do Alemão but still in the general area, now emboldened by repeated conflicts between inhabitants and the UPPs, were firing from hillsides outside the slum. There was rifle fire and pistol fire. Some grenades also exploded.

According to military spokespersons, a total of 1,700 military personnel are in the Complexo do Alemão slum and at least another 200 are in reserve. The UPP also has armored vehicles that can drive up into the slum if necessary.

Inhabitants report that there have not been a lot of changes since the UPP arrived. There is less gunfire, they say, but their daily lives are pretty much the same. One woman said she had more hope that her young son would not get involved in drugs. “We try to keep our kids away from drugs but it is not easy. Now I do have more hope that he can have a good life,” she said.

Allen Bennett – translator/editor The News in English

Link - Segurança pública: clima volta a ficar tenso no Complexo do Alemão

Link -Depois de conflitos, quatro bases do Exército monitoram Complexo do Alemão

Link - Troca de tiros no Morro do Alemão já dura mais de 2 horas