RIO DE JANEIRO: At least 64 people, including four police officers, were killed on Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro during Brazil’s most lethal police operation to date. The massive raid targeted the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) gang just days before the city is set to host major global climate events tied to the upcoming UN COP30 summit.
Next week, Rio will welcome the C40 Global Summit of Mayors on climate action and Prince William’s Earthshot Prize awards, which will feature global figures such as Kylie Minogue and Sebastian Vettel, Reuters reported. Both events are part of the lead-up to COP30, the United Nations climate conference scheduled to take place in Belem from November 10–21.
Governor Calls Raid ‘Historic Day’
Rio Governor Claudio Castro confirmed the death toll, saying it was more than double the city’s previous deadliest police operation. “We stand firm confronting narcoterrorism,” he wrote on social media, describing the day as “historic” in the fight against organised crime.
The raid involved 2,500 security personnel deployed across the Alemão and Penha favela complexes, near Rio’s international airport. Police footage showed suspects using drones armed with grenades against officers and armed men fleeing into forested areas.
Castro said 81 people were arrested, and authorities executed part of 250 arrest and search warrants targeting suspected drug lords and their money-laundering networks. He also shared a video statement in Portuguese, saying he was personally “monitoring this historic day in the fight against crime.”
Outside a public hospital, grieving families gathered as emergency crews treated the wounded. The Rio state government called it the largest-ever operation against the Comando Vermelho, Brazil’s most powerful drug-trafficking syndicate.
Criticism Over Civilian Deaths
While officials hailed the raid as a success, civil society groups condemned the high civilian death toll, calling it evidence of Brazil’s ongoing pattern of excessive force in poor communities.
“This is a completely failed approach,” said Carolina Ricardo, executive director of the São Paulo-based security think tank Sou da Paz. “It does not address the deeper links in the drug production and distribution chain — it only brings more tragedy to Rio’s favelas.”
UN ‘Horrified’ by Operation
The United Nations Human Rights Office expressed outrage over the operation’s “extreme lethal consequences” and urged Brazilian authorities to conduct a swift, transparent investigation.
“We are horrified by the ongoing police operation in Rio’s favelas, reportedly resulting in the deaths of over 60 people, including four police officers,” the UN office said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). “This deadly operation furthers the trend of extreme lethal outcomes from police actions in Brazil’s marginalized communities.”
The statement reminded Brazilian authorities of their obligations under international human rights law and called for accountability, warning that the growing militarisation of police operations in favelas risks entrenching a cycle of violence and impunity.
