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Gangs sow terror in Brazil cities
Published
1 day ago
Several cities in north east Brazil are suffering from serious unrest caused by marauding criminal gangs.
For the third night, gang members set buses ablaze and carried out gun attacks on buildings in urban areas in Rio Grande do Norte state.
The attacks are thought to have been sparked by conditions in jails holding gang members.
Brazil's government sent hundreds of federal security forces to the region earlier this week.
Justice and Security Minister Flavio Dino said hundreds more could be sent in the coming days as unrest continues. The state government has convened a crisis cabinet and has asked the federal government for more support.
The attacks were ordered from within the state's jails when gang members' requests for televisions, electricity and conjugal visits were turned down, Brazilian news outlet Terra quoted the state's secretary of public security Francisco Araujo as saying.
More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-64985010
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1 DAY AGO
Imprisoned gang leaders direct followers to unleash a wave of terror across cities after their requests for better facilities in jail were rejected.
Members of rival gangs have joined hands to unleash a reign of terror across northern Brazil – torching vehicles and buildings, breaking window panes and firing at public buildings in a fresh round of violence in the Latin American nation.
The wave of predawn attacks over the past three days have been reported from at least 28 towns and cities in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, including its capital Natal.
At least two suspects have been killed in clashes with police, two other people were wounded, and 30 have been arrested so far, officials said.
. . .
Violent past
Organised gangs appeared around the 1970s when Brazil saw inequality and unemployment rise along with rapid urbanisation, according to data collected by the US-based non-profit Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).
More:
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/explained-why-brazil-cities-are-facing-wave-of-gang-violence-66223
