Brazil, Lula dismisses the army chief in office for 15 days. This was confirmed by the Minister of Defense

After the armed forces “recovered” by shooting 16 soldiers from the security cabinetA, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva relieved the army chief, Gen Julio Cesar de Arruda, in office for only 15 days. The decision was announced, as Globo News wrote, the day after the meeting between Lula and the leaders of the armed forces in Brasilia, After the Sovereign attack on the Democratic buildings on January 8th. Arruda will be replaced by the military commander of the Southeast, General Tomás Miguel Ribeiro Paiva, who last Wednesday delivered a speech to his troops demanding respect for the election results, saying: “It is the government of the people. The rotation of power. It is the vote, and when we vote we must respect the result of the ballot. This It is the belief that we should have, even if we don’t like it.” Arruda had assumed command of the Provisional Army on January 30 and was confirmed by the Minister of Defence, Jose Museo Montero, on January 6. Lula’s government did not explain the reason for the decision.

Only 24 hours earlier, Montero himself had stated that Lula “trusts” the military. A statement to journalists came at the end of the closed-door meeting between the head of state and the leaders of the armed forces, 12 days after the attack on the authority’s buildings in Brasilia. “The president said he trusted their work,” Montero said. The events of January 8 were not mentioned in the meeting. The minister had specified that the issue of “investments” in the military field is on the agenda. Montero said he was satisfied that there was no involvement of the armed forces in the actions vandalismBut what happened will be “thoroughly investigated” and if there is any military intervention.He will be judged like any other citizen“.

Meanwhile, Brazilian Federal Police arrested four far-right activists on Friday for their alleged participation in the assault. Among those arrested were sympathizers of the former president Jair Bolsonaro: Renan Silva Sena (who was in charge of the Women’s Ministry led by evangelical pastor Damaris Alves) and Ramiro Alves da Rocha, better known as Ramiro the Trucker. The Supreme Court (Stf) ordered the arrest of eight people and the search of 16 homes and offices in the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Goiás. Operation Lisa Patria, which began at dawn on Friday, is linked to an investigation by the Stf into the perpetrators, intellectuals and financiers of the invasion and looting of government, parliament and Supreme Court offices on January 8.