According to data from a survey published on Monday (15/04), in 16 years the area of Greater Rio under the control of armed groups grew by 105.73%. During this period, the militias were the group that grew the most, tripling their territorial dominance. The Red Command (CV) and Third Pure Command (TCP) also grew. The Friends of Friends faction was the only armed group to show a reduction in its territory. In 2023, all armed groups showed territorial reduction, except the CV. The study was prepared by the Fogo Cruzado Institute and the Study Group on New Illegalisms, at the Universidade Federal Fluminense (Geni-UFF). The map below shows the expansion:
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Reduction in 2023
The year 2023 was marked by the reduction of the dominance of several armed groups in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. While the militias showed a reduction of 19.3%, the Third Pure Command (TCP) of 13%, and the Friends of Friends (ADA) faction of 16.7%. Comando Vermelho (CV) was the only armed group to advance its dominance by 8.4%.
As a result, the militias, which in 2021 and 2022 were the armed group with the largest territorial dominance, were overtaken by Comando Vermelho which, in 2023, concentrated 51.9% of the territories controlled by armed groups in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro.
Controlled Area
In total, of the 2,565.98 km² of inhabited urban area in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro – excluding vegetation cover, rural areas, and river basins – 18.2% was under the control of an armed group in 2023. In 2008, dominated areas represented 8.8%. This means that in the last 16 years, the area of the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan region under the control of armed groups has doubled, a growth of 105.73%.
The militias grew by 204.6%, the CV and the TCP expanded by 89.2% and 79.1% respectively. ADA was the only group that showed a reduction at the end of the period, 75.8%.
In 2023, of the 466.65 km² area of Greater Rio dominated by some armed group, 38.9% were under the control of militias, 7.7% by TCP, 0.8% by the Amigos dos Amigos faction, and 51, 9%, under the CV domain. Thus, the CV became the faction with the most area under its control, 242.21 km².
The militias had passed the CV in terms of controlled territory, but the numbers from 2023 show that this did not last. In 2021, of the 509.35 km² of Greater Rio dominated by armed groups, 46.5% belonged to militias and 42.9% to Comando Vermelho.
Regions
The resumption of Comando Vermelho’s territorial expansion was driven by growth in Baixada Fluminense and the Metropolitan East, which accounted for 85% of the areas conquered by the faction in 2023. The militias accumulated the biggest losses in Baixada, followed by the Capital, mainly in the West Zone.
Baixada Fluminense has been marked by an oscillation in dominance between the militia and the CV since 2019. In the 16 years analyzed, the militia grew 177.2%, but lost its superiority to the CV in 2023, after a reduction of 22.5%. TCP is the third force in the region, with 56.7% of the area, the result of an increase of 296.3% in 16 years.
The Metropolitan East is marked by the consolidated hegemony of the CV. In 2023, of the 111.04 km² of area in the Metropolitan East dominated by an armed group, 97.4% was under the control of the CV.
The capital of Rio de Janeiro is a region marked by the predominance of militias. Of the 155.33 km² of city area dominated by an armed group in 2023, 66.2% were under the influence of militias. Red Command, Third Pure Command, and Amigos dos Amigos concentrated 20.7%, 9.3%, and 2.4%, respectively. However, the militias lost territory in the city, a drop of 15.4%, TCP reduced by 9.6% and ADA by 16%. CV expanded by 9.12%.
