Brazil's Defense Minister Declares Scenes of Violence in Rio During Carnival to Be "Unacceptable"

02/15/2018 - 10h52

Brazilian Defense Minister Raul Jungmann said on Wednesday (the 14th) that scenes of violence seen in Rio de Janeiro during Carnival "are inadmissible and unacceptable" and have "a major impact on the government".

According to the Minister, the government ought to be announcing new measures for reinforcing security in Rio soon.

"New measures ought to be coming, don't ask me which ones because we haven't defined them yet and the President hasn't signed off on them", he said.

He also said that a trip to Rio by the Minister of the President's General Secretariat, Moreira Franco, and the Navy Chief, Eduardo Bacellar, is scheduled for Thursday (the 15th).

He's waiting upon a definition regarding the aid that the Union is expected to offer to the State of Roraima in order to confirm the visit to Rio de Janeiro but confirmed that a meeting with the local government will take place by Friday (the 16th).

"The Federal Government is thinking of adopting additional measures regarding the security of Rio de Janeiro", he said, without specifying what such actions might be.

During Carnival at least three policemen were killed and waves of mass robberies were recorded in the Ipanema region. In addition, residents and tourists reported robberies and thefts throughout the holiday period.

Jungmann denied that the Federal Government had failed to carry out its security role in the State, declaring that a federal operation in Rio requires solicitation from the local government, and he affirmed that he hadn't received any such request before or during Carnival.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

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	Carl de Souza/AFP
	Brazilian military on patrol past an abandoned vehicle with old bullet holes in Jacarezinho favela in Rio de Janeiro