National Guard troops were patrolling northeastern Brazil on Thursday after three nights of riots, allegedly ordered by jailed gang members, that left windows smashed, buses on fire and at least three people dead.
Most of the violence occurred in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, where there were attacks with firearms on public buildings, and buses and gas stations set on fire since Monday night in about twenty cities.
The owner of a supermarket died due to the violence. In addition, a rioter in Rio Grande do Norte and another in the neighboring state of Paraiba have been killed in shootouts with police, authorities said.
Schools in both states canceled classes Thursday for fears that school buses could be attacked, and some regular bus services were suspended.
Rio Grande do Norte’s public security secretary, Francisco Araújo, said Wednesday that the attacks were ordered from inside the state’s largest prison, after directors refused to meet inmates’ demands for televisions, conjugal visits and electricity.
Several Brazilian media outlets also referred to the appalling conditions inside the prisons, citing a report from the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship last year indicating that detainees were subjected to torture, rotten food and unsanitary conditions.
The violence continued despite the deployment this week of more than 220 National Guard troops to the region.
Brazil’s Justice Minister, Flávio Dino, also ordered on Wednesday the creation of a new working group to increase security within the prison system, with the aim of ending any orchestration of violence from prisons.
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