Death toll rises to 43 in Brazil police raids against drug gangs

The death toll in police raids against drug gangs across three states in Brazil has risen to at least 43 fatalities, according to local media on Wednesday.

At least 10 people were killed in Rio de Janeiro's most recent operation when police allegedly opened fire during a shootout in the Complexo da Penha district.

Earlier, BBC reported that 14 suspects were killed in skirmishes during a five-day police operation known as Operation Shield in the state of Sao Paulo.

Additionally, authorities in the northeastern state of Bahia report that 19 suspects have died since Friday.

Moreover, 58 people were detained as a result of the operation in So Paulo state, which began after a special forces police officer was killed on Thursday in the seaside town of Guarujá.

According to local media, police also recovered firearms and 385 kg of drugs.

Brazil's Justice Minister Flavio Dino, denounced the operation, saying it was out of proportion to the crime that was committed.

According to Tarcisio de Freitas, the governor of the state of So Paulo, in an interview on Tuesday, two police officers were among the 14 people killed during conflicts.

Two of the 10 people killed on Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro, according to local media reports, were a drug kingpin and a trafficker, and four others, including a police officer, were injured.

After receiving information that a meeting of drug trafficking ringleaders was anticipated in Complexo da Penha, north of the city, military police began an operation there.

Witnesses described encounters between gang members and police that involved heavily armed gang members and gunshots.

Member of the Rio state assembly Talria Petrone criticised the operation saying that there was, "no explanation for the state to continue turning life in favelas into a hell like this."

Schools in Complexo da Penha closed, causing 3,220 pupils to stay home and national health service house visits were also suspended due to security concerns.

Instituto Marielle Franco — an NGO named after campaigning politician Marielle Franco who was murdered in 2018 — also publicly criticised the latest events in a statement, saying: "The slaughter repeats itself."

Franco was a vocal councilwoman who, before her death, had criticised the police for their frequently lethal raids in densely populated shanty neighbourhoods, or favelas, and had criticised paramilitary organisations led by retired and off-duty police, known as milcias.

According to BBC South America correspondent Katy Watson, police violence is quite frequent in Brazil as every week, there are shoot-outs, leaving people dead.

She also said that Rio de Janeiro is one of the most violent states in Brazil and has experienced fatalities and accusations of poor training and trigger-happy authorities during drug crime operations in favelas.

Meanwhile, in Bahia, clashes between police and gang members occurred in Salvador, Itatim, and Camaçari, resulting in the deaths of seven people while eight were left injured.

Additionally, in Salvador, clashes between police and armed suspects led to four deaths and school closures. Guns, phones, and drugs were seized during the operations.

According to Watson, the situation is tricky in a nation with a high rate of gun crime and rising security concerns. However, she added that there are more and more requests to investigate police abuses of human rights.