International

Brasilia riots: What we know

Photo: CARL DE SOUZA / AFP

January 15 | By AFP |

Thousands of opponents of leftist new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stormed the seats of power in Brazil’s capital on January 8, fired up by anti-“communist” rhetoric and allegations of election fraud.

Here’s what we know.

Rioters arrested

In all, the Federal Police detained 1,843 people after the riots in Brasilia.

Most of them were taken from an encampment outside the army headquarters in the capital, where they had been protesting for two months, clamoring for the military to prevent Lula’s inauguration, which went ahead on January 1.

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According to the latest update by the Federal Police, 1,159 remained under arrest Wednesday after 684 — many of them old or ill, parents of young children and homeless people — were released to await trial in freedom.

Police from the district of Brasilia arrested another 209 on the day of the uprising.

Charges against the rioters include terrorism, criminal association, involvement in an attack against the democratic state, participation in an attempted coup d’etat and incitement to crime.

Countering claims of mistreatment, the police said hundreds of detainees received three meals and a snack every day, and had access to medical care.

More than 430 were seen by doctors and 33 taken to health facilities.

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Justice Minister Flavio Dino said on Friday that court appearances have started, without providing details.

Top dogs

A Supreme Court judge on Friday gave the green light for far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, beaten narrowly by Lula at the ballot box in October, to be included in an investigation into the instigators of the riots.

The Federal Police on Saturday arrested Brasilia security chief Anderson Torres, a former Bolsonaro justice minister, for alleged “collusion” with the rioters.

Also in custody is Fabio Augusto, who led the military police in Brasilia and, like Torres, was fired after the uprising.

The Supreme Court has also ordered an inquiry into the conduct of Brasilia governor Ibaneis Rocha and his interim public security secretary Fernando de Sousa Oliveira.

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Rocha was relieved of his duties for 90 days.

Lula and Dino have said the violence could not have happened without collusion from members of the security forces. An investigation is under way.

Financiers

The attorney general’s office has identified 52 individuals and seven companies suspected of having helped pay for the uprising.

According to national broadcaster TV Globo, the suspects included leaders in the pro-Bolsonaro agro-business sector.

They are thought to have paid for the food and transport of rioters who arrived in Brasilia from several regions of the country on about 100 passenger buses.

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Investigations are ongoing to track down other masterminds and financiers.

Damage

The extent of the damage has yet to be determined in monetary terms, but many of the items trashed when rioters broke into the presidency, Congress and Supreme Court are irreplaceable parts of Brazil’s cultural heritage.

The buildings, all designed by famed architect Oscar Niemeyer, had their windows smashed, furniture broken, floors and walls burnt and scratched, and facades scarred by anti-Lula graffiti.

The capital is inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

In an initial report of damage, Brazil’s Iphan heritage institute documented a seemingly never-ending trail of destruction.

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Most of the building damage was reversible, it said, but individual items may not be salvageable.

Among the most iconic items damaged were the modernist canvas “As Mulatas” painted by Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, and the sculpture “A Justica” by Alfredo Ceschiatti.

Numberous canvases, busts, statues, ceramic vases and pieces of antique furniture were defaced.

UNESCO has offered its help in restoring damaged artworks.

Driving force

Bolsonaro had done his best on the campaign trail to raise the specter of “communism” under leftist Lula, who had already served two previous presidential terms from 2003 to 2010.

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He also hammered repeatedly on Lula’s graft conviction, which has been overturned.

Long before the election, Bolsonaro sought to cast doubt, without showing any evidence, on the credibility of Brazil’s internationally-hailed electoral system.

When he did lose, millions were left fearful of Lula and the left, and distrustful of his victory.

“All we want is freedom,” one arrested rioter told AFP.

Experts say disinformation, much of it spread by Bolsonaro himself, was in large part responsible for the radicalization of the anti-Lula faction in Brazil.

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International

Bogotá and Quito Seek Dialogue After Tariffs and Power Cut Escalate Tensions

Bogotá and Quito will hold an emergency bilateral summit next week amid recent developments that have strained relations between the two countries.

Tensions escalated this week after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa unexpectedly announced a 30% tariff on Colombian imports. Colombia responded with a reciprocal measure, imposing the same tariff on around 20 Ecuadorian products and suspending electricity exports to Ecuador.

Aware that electricity imports are critical to easing Ecuador’s recent energy crises, Quito further imposed a 30% tariff on the transportation of Colombian oil through its territory.

However, recent statements from the Ecuadorian government suggest that dialogue between the two sides has intensified in recent hours. Ecuador’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabriela Sommerfeld, confirmed that active conversations are under way.

In Colombia, segments of the business sector have welcomed the prospect of negotiations. The National Business Council (Consejo Gremial Nacional, CGN), for instance, urged both governments to restore commercial relations, warning that the dispute “puts jobs and regional economic stability at risk.”

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International

Trump-Era Defense Plan Prioritizes Border Security and Scales Back Global Commitments

The U.S. military will prioritize the defense of the homeland and the deterrence of China, while providing more limited support to its allies and elevating Latin America as a key focus of its agenda, according to a Pentagon strategic document released on Friday.

The 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) represents a significant shift from previous Pentagon policies, both in its emphasis on allies assuming greater responsibility with reduced backing from Washington and in its more moderate tone toward traditional adversaries such as China and Russia.

“As U.S. forces focus on defending the homeland and the Indo-Pacific, allies and partners elsewhere will assume primary responsibility for their own defense, with crucial but more limited support from U.S. forces,” the document states.

The previous defense strategy, published during President Joe Biden’s administration, described China as Washington’s most consequential challenge and characterized Russia as an “acute threat.”

The new strategy, however, calls for maintaining “respectful relations” with Beijing and makes no reference to Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China and allied with the United States. It also describes the threat posed by Russia as “persistent but manageable,” particularly affecting NATO’s eastern members.

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While both the Biden-era strategy and the Trump administration’s approach emphasize the importance of defending U.S. territory, they differ significantly in their assessment of the challenges facing the country.

The Trump administration’s NDS sharply criticizes the previous government for neglecting border security, arguing that this failure led to an “influx of illegal immigrants” and widespread narcotics trafficking.

International

Guatemala considers sending high-risk gang members to military prisons

Amid the escalating crisis in Guatemala’s prison system, the government is considering transferring high-risk gang members to military-run detention facilities, a move that analysts say could help address overcrowding and the lack of control in civilian prisons.

The debate has gained urgency following the killing of ten police officers by gang members, reportedly in retaliation after the government refused to meet demands made by Aldo Dupie Ochoa, alias “El Lobo,” leader of the Barrio 18 gang, which authorities identified as responsible for the attack.

Guatemala’s Minister of Defense, Henry David Sáenz, told local media that the possibility of relocating high-danger inmates to military brigades has not been formally discussed. However, he noted that the practice is not new to the Armed Forces and said it is something that “was already being done.”

One example is the detention center located within the Mariscal Zavala Military Brigade, in Zone 17 of Guatemala City, where several inmates are held under military supervision. The facility also houses high-profile detainees, including former official Eduardo Masaya, who faces corruption charges.

In 2015, a ministerial agreement authorized the establishment of the Zone Seventeen Detention Center within the brigade, with a maximum capacity of 114 inmates in Area A and 21 in Area B. The agreement specified that the facility would be used exclusively for civilians or military personnel considered at risk of assassination.

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Additionally, since 2010, a prison has operated within the Matamoros Barracks in Zone 1 of Guatemala City, holding dangerous or high-profile inmates. However, media outlets have described these military detention centers as “VIP prisons,” particularly for former government officials such as ex-president Otto Pérez Molina.