“Siege by terror” in disputed territories in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the movements made by different actors in the world of crime in a neighborhood of the West Zone to identify the multiple organization forms of criminal groups based on territorial control and management of illegal activities, which characterize the war in the disputed territories in Rio de Janeiro. We follow leads offered by fieldwork conducted in Praça Seca and attempt to establish relations between the disputes for territorial control, sometimes by militias, sometimes by drug trafficking, in the neighborhood's favelas and their surroundings, and identify strategies activated by residents who experience the "siege by terror" to maintain their routines despite the constant situations of violence to which they are subjected.