Thirteen people have lost their lives in gang violence over the past four days in Porto Velho, the capital of Rondonia state in the Brazilian Amazon. This violence, involving clashes between gang members and police, has raised serious concerns about the growing influence of gangs in the region.
According to Rondonia’s security department, eight individuals were killed in attacks by criminal gangs, while five others died in confrontations with police since Tuesday morning.
In retaliation, criminals set fire to 20 buses, most of which were school buses, likely protesting the police crackdown. In response, authorities have restricted public transportation hours and assigned police escorts to city buses.
The escalating violence prompted the federal government to deploy national public security forces to Rondonia, where they will assist the state police in containing the unrest for at least 90 days.
Porto Velho police attribute the attacks to a revenge campaign by the Commando Vermelho criminal faction, which is believed to be retaliating against police operations in a housing complex it controls in the city.
Although Commando Vermelho originated in Rio de Janeiro, it has become the most dominant gang in the Amazon region in recent years.
A recent report from the Brazilian Public Security Forum highlighted the rapid rise in crime rates in the Amazon. In 2023, the region recorded 34 homicides for every 100,000 people, nearly double the national average.
While the Amazon has long struggled with land conflicts due to expanding farming activities, the recent surge in violence is largely driven by gang rivalries over control of critical drug trade routes connecting cocaine producers to consumers. Rondonia, bordering Bolivia—a major cocaine producer—has become a crucial drug trafficking corridor. Police investigations indicate that in the past decade, authorities have seized 20 tons of cocaine in the state, making it one of the largest seizure areas in Brazil.
Renato Sergio de Lima, president of the Brazilian Public Security Forum, remarked, “The Amazon is a perfect environment for crime. Gangs control the territory and set the rules until the police arrive.”
