terça-feira, 30 de novembro de 2010

Troops to occupy Brazilian slum through October


(CNN) -- The military operation to clear a Rio de Janeiro slum of drug traffickers will effectively turn into an occupation of the area at least through October of next year, Gov. Sergio Cabral said in a radio interview Tuesday.
Rio state Gov. Sergio Cabral said that at least 2,000 troops will remain at the Alemao slum -- called a favela in Portuguese -- to keep up the effort to pacify the area. He announced the move after meeting with Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's president-elect, in the capital, Brasilia. Originally, he had requested the troops for only six months.
Rousseff offered her support for the security work being carried out in Rio, Cabral said. The troops are needed so that the government doesn't have to delay future operations in other communities overrun by drug traffickers, he said.
The troops will remain until a police unit and station are installed in Alemao, slated for the middle of next year.
Brazil, which will host the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016, is under increasing pressure to crack down on violent crime and clean up its slums. CNN