More than 90 incidents of arson, gunfire and vandalism in Rio Grande do Norte grips the area in fear amid ongoing violence in Rio de Janeiro before Olympics

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

More than 1,000 Brazilian troops have been deployed in the northern state of Rio Grande do Norte after a wave of attacks by gang members overwhelmed police and forced a partial shutdown of schools and public transport.

The escalating conflict comes just two days before the Olympic opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, which also saw fierce gunfighting on Wednesday between police and drug traffickers.



Three people, including one policeman, were shot on Wednesday in the Alemão favela. The officer was injured.

The situation in the north, however, is of the greatest immediate concern. Since Friday, there have been more than 90 attacks, according to local media, in conflict that is believed to have been sparked by the local government’s decision to jam cellphone coverage in Parnamirim prison.

Banks and public buildings in the state capital, Natal, have been raked with machine gun fire, 27 buses have been torched and one landmark – the Morro do Careca – has been vandalised. The latest incident occurred on Wednesday morning, when a police station was set on fire. There have also been arson attacks on schools and an environmental agency boat.



Local media say some districts of Natal are under curfew and bus services have been curtailed because drivers do not feel safe unless they have a police escort.

At the request of the state governor, the interim president, Michel Temer, has authorized 1,000 soldiers and 200 marines to bolster security. The reinforcements began arriving on Wednesday. The defense minister, Raul Jungmann, was due to visit Natal on Thursday to monitor the situation.

Police have also arrested dozens of gang members, including the alleged second in command of the gang, Daniel Carvalho Silva. Several Parnamirim inmates – who are believed to have ordered the attacks – have been transferred to another prison.

Natal is more than 2,500km from the Olympic host city, Rio de Janeiro, but the breakdown of public order is an embarrassment to the host nation and highlights the broader problems of high crime rates and inequality that plague almost all cities in Brazil.

‘The only Olympic legacy I see is repression and war’ – a year in Rio’s favelas Read more

Rio’s own longstanding problem of violence continued on Wednesday in the latest gunfight between police and drug traffickers in the Alemão favela, a centre for the the city’s biggest gang Comando Vermelho (Red Command) that lies close to the international airport.

More than 400 officers were deployed to the community to arrest 23 alleged gangsters. TV images showed scores of officers firing automatic weapons while police helicopters hovered overhead.

Such operations have become horribly familiar to local residents, many of whom complain the police are causing more problems than they solve.

Crime is a major concern ahead of the Olympics. After more than a decade of falls, the number of murders and muggings has increased in the city over the past two years.

The Brazilian government has dispatched 22,000 troops to beef up security at Olympic venues. It has also provided 3bn reais (£750.02m) in emergency funds to cover police wages, which the near-bankrupt state government had failed to pay.