Brazil’s military to reinforce Rio security during G20 summit, security official says

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazilian armed forces will be used to reinforce security during the meeting of the Group of 20 leading economies in Rio de Janeiro next month, the city’s state secretary for security said on Tuesday.

Under Brazil’s law, the country’s president has the power to deploy the military temporarily to a specific region to patrol streets as police in cases where the usual security forces are not enough to handle the situation.

The measure, known as Guarantee of Law and Order (GLO), has been used before to reinforce security during other global events Brazil has hosted, such as the 2014 World Cup, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the 2012 United Nations’ summit Rio +20.

“This law will certainly be used,” Rio de Janeiro state’s secretary for security Victor Santos told journalists on Tuesday, when asked about the G20 heads of governments meeting. “The host country is responsible for ensuring the safety of those who come,” he added.

Leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping, confirmed they will be in Rio de Janeiro for the G20 summit, which will take place November 18-19.

According to Santos, the armed forces would be deployed in the city of Rio de Janeiro, not the whole state.

Neither Brazil’s presidential office nor the defense ministry immediately responded to requests for comments on the remarks by Rio de Janeiro’s secretary.

In the last few weeks, Rio de Janeiro has faced a series of violence incident as several hijackers used dozens of city buses to barricade streets and block the entry of police, after freeing the passengers.