Brazil's federal security force, the Força Nacional de Segurança Pública, has been authorised to operate for 90 days in Tabatinga, in the interior of Amazonas state, along the border strip with Colombia. The authorisation is set out in Portaria MJSP No. 1,313 — a ministerial order — signed on 22 October by the Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública (Ministry of Justice and Public Security) and published in the Diário Oficial da União, Brazil's official gazette, on Monday, when it took effect.
The force will patrol the border strip in support of the Polícia Federal (the federal police), and will also work on preserving public order and protecting people and property. The order describes the deployment as "episodic and planned" and provides for it to be coordinated with Amazonas state's own public security bodies.
How many officers? Not yet known
The order sets no troop numbers. The size of the contingent will be decided by the directorate of the Força Nacional, which reports to the Secretaria Nacional de Segurança Pública (National Public Security Secretariat, or Senasp), according to the operational plan. Logistics and supporting infrastructure are the responsibility of the body that requested the operation.
That is a practical gap: until the plan is published, there is no way to measure the size of the reinforcement announced. Only the deadline and the mission are fixed.
Why Tabatinga
Tabatinga sits at the far west of Amazonas state, on the Solimões river, and merges into Leticia, Colombia — the two towns meet by land, with no physical barrier between them, in the tri-border area that also takes in Peru. It is one of the main points of entry and exit for the upper Solimões, and the state news agency Agência Brasil describes the municipality as a strategic point in an area exposed to cross-border crime such as drug trafficking, smuggling and environmental offences.
The operation falls under the Plano Amazônia: Segurança e Soberania (Amazon Plan: Security and Sovereignty), the federal programme that bundles security measures and state presence in the Amazon region.
How the force is deployed
The Força Nacional is not a standing police force: it is made up of police officers and firefighters seconded by the states and mobilised for a fixed period by order of the Ministério da Justiça, when a state asks for reinforcement or a federal operation needs support. Each authorisation names the municipality, the mission and the term — here, 90 days, which can be extended by a new order.
With information from Agência Brasil, the Diário Oficial da União and Atlas Público.
