More than 21 people were killed in a pre-dawn police raid in Rio de Janeiro’s Vila Cruzeiro favela, yesterday. The police operation, backed by a helicopter, was aimed at locating and arresting criminal leaders, The police operation, backed by a helicopter, targeted leaders of Rio’s largest organized crime gang, the Comando Vermelho, reports Reuters.

Officials said they were fired on while preparing the operative, reports the Associated Press. Residents said on social media that heavy shooting began in darkness at 4am in a wooded area next to Vila Cruzeiro, sparking fear and panic in the community, reports the Guardian.

It is one of Rio’s deadliest police operations in recent history, and comes a year after the Jacarezinho favela raid that left 28 people dead and prompted allegations of police abuse and summary executions. (See post for May 7, 2021.) Earlier this year, Brazil’s Supreme Court established a series of conditions for police to conduct raids in Rio’s favelas as a means to reduce police killings and violations of human rights.

The operation was conducted jointly by the military police and federal highway police. Rio state public prosecutors said in a statement they had opened a criminal investigation. They gave the military police 10 days to provide details about the operation, indicating which officials were responsible for each death and the justification for use of lethal force, the statement said.

News Briefs

Regional

• Latin American governments are struggling to contain price hikes that hit the poorest hardest, deploying strategies that range from raising central bank rates to subsidizing gas costs, reports Americas Quarterly.
  
• Covid cases are surging in South America, but government officials hope high vaccination rates mean this latest wave will not be as deadly as previous ones — even as populations resist prevention measures, reports the Associated Press.

Costa Rica

• While cyberattacks against Latin American government sites are nothing new, the sheer brazenness of the Conti gang’s attack in Costa Rica is far bolder and more politicized, writes James Bosworth in the Latin America Risk Report. “Conti threatened to instigate protests and overthrow the Costa Rican government if no ransom is paid.”

Mexico

• Mexico’s immigration enforcement is increasingly militarized, according to a report published yesterday by six nongovernmental organizations, that found many migrant detentions carried out by armed forces are arbitrary, based on racial profiling and have led to abuses, reports the Associated Press. (See yesterday’s briefs.)
  
• At least 11 people were killed Monday in Celaya, when more than a dozen gunmen opened fire in two bars, reports Reuters.

Brazil

• Brazilian presidential frontrunner Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sent an emissary in April to meet with U.S. State Department officials. The private nature of the previously unreported meeting underlines the skepticism of Lula – and other Latin American leftists – toward the U.S. government, according to Reuters.

Cuba

• Many Cubans are greeting new U.S. measures relaxing some sanctions towards the island with caution and confusion about how they may work, reports the Associated Press. (See May 17’s post.)

Ecuador

• Alex Lucitante and Alexandra Narváez, two indigenous activists from Ecuador were awarded the Goldman Prize, which recognizes grassroots activism. They used drones and camera traps to document mining on their land, evidence that was crucial in securing a legal victory which resulted in protecting 79,000 acres of rainforest. (BBC)

Bolivia

• Bolivia’s MAS party has gone from a decade of hegemony to mere dominance, writes Thomas Graham in Americas Quarterly. MAS maintains a majority in both chambers of parliament, but lost its rmajority. It had mixed results in last year’s subnational elections, and faces infighting among three factions.

Critter Corner

• Mexican experts have said that 35 percent more monarch
  butterflies arrived to winter this year, compared with the previous season. Experts say the rise may reflect the butterflies’ ability to adapt to more extreme bouts of heat or drought by varying the date when they leave Mexico, reports the Guardian.
  
  
  

Jordana Timerman/ Latin America Daily Briefing

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