Brazil to use army to tame gang violence

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil is to send in the army in an increasingly desperate fight to tame runaway gang violence in Rio de Janeiro, following a decree signed on Friday by President Michel Temer.

Army patrols are already used in Rio’s favelas ruled by drug gangs, but the decree will now give the military full control of security operations in Rio state, which the president said had virtually been seized by organised crime gangs.

The army will have primacy over the state police, a situation unheard of since the country’s return to democracy in 1985 after 21 years of military rule. "I am taking these extreme measures because circumstances demand it," Temer said after signing the decree to combat a wave of gang-driven violence.

"The government will give tough and firm answers, taking all necessary measures to eradicate organized crime." Chamber of Deputies head Rodrigo Maia -- who took part in a preparatory meeting with Temer on Thursday -- described the move to reporters on Friday as "hard and extreme".

The country has seen a wave of violence that prompted Defense Minister Raul Jungmann to declare last month that "the security system is broken." Rio state Governor Luiz Fernando Pezao issued an apology Wednesday after the carnival in Rio was marred by violence and muggings: "We were not ready. There were mistakes in the first days and we reinforced the patrols."