Violence in Brazil: at least 14 dead in a shooting in a favela in Rio de Janeiro

At least 14 people died this Friday during a shootout in several favelas in downtown Rio de Janeiro, the most emblematic city of Brazil and in the grip of a wave of violence since mid-2016, confirmed official sources.

The event occurred at three poor neighborhoods located in the bohemian and tourist district of Santa Teresa, in the center of Rio de Janeiro.

The victims died during a confrontation with police operations command officers as part of an operation to combat drug trafficking in the region, where various criminal organizations are fighting for control.

According to information provided by the Municipal Secretariat for Health, quoted by the state agency Agencia Brasil, 13 people who were in confrontation with the authorities arrived dead at the hospitalAnother died instantly and two more are being treated in the health unit.

In social networks, the Rio Military Police also reported that they had been apprehended three rifles, six grenades and twelve pistols.

After the 2016 Olympics, the state of Rio de Janeiro, one of the most violent in Brazil, lives continuous clashes between rival gangs, militias and police.

The government of former President Michel Temer decreed last year the Army intervention in the security zone of the state of Rio de Janeiro, but the presence of the army has not solved the structural problems of violence in the region, according to various human rights organizations.

According to the data laboratory "Fogo Cruzado", a platform offering a map of clashes in the city, In 2018, 9,651 shootings took place in Rio de Janeiro and its metropolitan area, 61% more than the year before.

In addition to the increase in the number of shootings, the NGO noted that between February and December 2018, the number of deaths also increased by 40% civilians in police actions while homicides have "barely" dropped by 5.5%.