The government of Rio de Janeiro sent the plan to reoccupy territories dominated by organized crime in communities in the State to the Federal Supreme Court (STF).
Among the objectives are the end of the monopoly on the supply of basic services by drug traffickers and militiamen, the containment of the Red Command, as well as infrastructure, urban and social measures. THE Estadão had access to the 200-page document.
The creation of the plan was determined by the (STF) in April, during the trial of Claim of Non-Compliance with Fundamental Precept (ADPF) No. 635, the “ADPF das Favelas”. The agency seeks to control operations in communities and reduce police lethality
The plan is being presented almost two months after the operation that left 122 people dead in the Penha complex and became the deadliest police action in the history of Brazil.
Where does reoccupation begin?
The territory chosen as a pilot project brings together the communities of Muzema, Rio das Pedras and Gardênia Azul, in the west zone of the capital of Rio de Janeiro. Instead of starting with the regions with the highest rates of lethal violence, the plan prioritizes areas considered less critical, but with a high risk of expanding criminal control.
The strategy, according to official documents, seeks to reduce armed clashes, avoid deaths due to police intervention and prevent disputes from turning into urban wars.
Intelligence reports describe the chosen region as a disputed territory, rather than an area where the state has completely lost control.
The government says that communities “present lower operational risk and a greater probability of success with reduced exposure of police forces and the civilian population”:
– At Muzema, the dominance of Comando Vermelho is classified as recent, with a structure still being consolidated.
– In Rio das Pedras, the historical role of militias is characterized as predominantly economic, with a lower incidence of open armed clashes.
– Gardênia Azul appears as a transition area, with fragmented influence from different groups.
Unlike previous policies, the plan gives greater weight to territories where lethality is lower, on the grounds that interventions in these locations offer lower operational risk and a greater chance of sustainable success.
Expansion of factions and militias
The presence of factions and militias in the metropolitan region of Rio has expanded rapidly in the last two decades. The number of people living under the control or influence of these groups grew by 59% between 2007 and 2024, according to the Study Group on New Illegalisms at the Fluminense Federal University (Geni/UFF) and the Fogo Cruzado Institute.
Today, around 4 million residents – 34.9% of the population – live under rules imposed by factions and militias. In 2007, there were 2.5 million people in these conditions.
This domination encompasses both drug trafficking factions – Red Command (CV), Third Comando Puro (TCP) and Amigos dos Amigos (ADA) – as well as militias that expand across municipalities that make up the metropolitan region, such as Duque de Caxias, Magé, Belford Roxo, Nova Iguaçu, Queimados and others.
24-hour police bases
According to the plan, the communities will receive police operations, “resumption operations”, which may count on the assistance of federal forces and the Armed Forces. Police bases will operate 24 hours a day with community policing.
The government also promises community municipal guard and posts for the Ombudsman and Public Defender’s Office, as well as spaces for the Justice and Prosecutor’s Office. It also promises the training of community leaders who will make formal contact with the government.
What are the risks of the plan not working?
Despite the technical tone, the plan does not rule out risks, such as the possibility of rapid changes in territorial control, armed reactions by criminal groups and coordination failures between state and municipal bodies.
The document also points out the risk of frustration among the local population if the State’s presence does not translate, in practice, into improvements in services, infrastructure and living conditions.
Previous experiences, such as the Pacification Police Units (UPPs), are indirectly cited as examples of initiatives that failed due to a lack of continuity, governance and integration between social and security areas.
Although it meets the STF’s requirement to present a schedule, the plan does not set specific dates for each stage. Implementation is organized into phases, such as diagnosis, tactical planning, progressive execution and monitoring, with deadlines to be defined in the plans for each territory. Reoccupation is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026.
In the STF’s decision, the Court determines that the reoccupation plan must have a “mandatory allocation of federal, state and municipal resources”. The report does not detail, however, how much the reoccupation program will cost.
Monitoring compliance with the measures will be the responsibility of the National Council of the Public Ministry (CNMP) for an initial period of two years, which creates an indirect time frame for the presentation of results.
The plan is structured into five axes of action:
– Public security and justice, with a focus on intelligence, control of the use of force and integration between police forces.
– Social development, including expansion of assistance services, education and policies for youth.
– Urban planning and infrastructure, with territorial regularization, sanitation works and mitigation of environmental risks.
– Economic development, aimed at formalizing the local economy and combating illegal activities, such as the clandestine real estate market.
– Governance and monitoring, with definition of responsibilities, performance indicators and institutional monitoring.
