Origins and Evolution of Comando Vermelho (Red Command)
📌 The Comando Vermelho (CV) originated in the 1970s within the harsh environment of the Candido Mendes Penal Institute on Ilha Grande island during Brazil's military dictatorship.
👨‍⚖️ The name "Vermelho" (Red) stems from the left-wing political affiliation of the political prisoners who initially formed a solidarity pact with common criminals.
💊 The group mutated post-release, moving from prison self-defense to establishing control in Rio de Janeiro's favelas in the 1980s, fueled by the rise of cocaine and marijuana trafficking.
🌎 CV evolved into an international cartel, estimated to have 30,000 active members spread across Brazil, including strategic Amazonian regions, facilitating drug and illegal arms trade with Bolivia, Paraguay, and Colombia.

Organizational Structure and Modus Operandi
🔗 CV operates on a "criminal franchise" model, granting high autonomy to local commands while maintaining ideological and economic cohesion, making it hard to dismantle completely.
⛓️ A key operational feature is the strong connection between prisons and the streets, with leaders directing operations from jail using mobile phones and corruption.
🛡️ CV established itself as a shadow government in neglected favelas by providing security and protection—services the state failed to deliver—and regulating informal taxes and protecting residents from rival gangs.
🗣️ The group maintains power not only through the "economy of violence" but also through social integration, funding local festivals and distributing essential goods, leading them to be both feared and accepted.

Operation Condor (Operação Condor) and Aftermath
🚁 The massive security operation, Operação Condor, launched on October 28, 2025, involved over 2,500 joint personnel targeting CV strongholds like Complexo do Alemão and Penha.
💥 The operation quickly devolved into a war zone within the favelas, with CV members utilizing civilian cover and even armed drones against security forces.
☠️ Casualty reports varied widely, with official figures mentioning 11 deaths (including 4 police officers), while independent reports like The Washington Post estimated over 130 fatalities, mostly civilians, marking it as one of the deadliest operations in modern Brazilian history.
📢 The high civilian death toll triggered massive public outrage across Brazil, leading to significant protests demanding an end to the "massacre" and forcing President Lula da Silva to order a thorough investigation.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ The CV's existence reflects a long history of violence, inequality, and state absence in Brazilian favelas, where the state often appears as a threat rather than a protector.
➡️ The military approach exemplifies "authoritarian resilience," where state power appears strong externally but relies on violence, ultimately eroding public trust in law and order.
➡️ Without fundamental social reform, economic justice, and education, security operations relying solely on force risk deepening underlying problems and potentially granting the criminal gangs new sympathy from residents.
➡️ The greatest casualty of the operation was the mutual trust—between citizens and the state, and among community members—which is essential for a functioning society.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Jan 05, 2026, 08:04 UTC