Brazil’s Lula sacks army commander after riots

WORLD, Jan. 22 (YPA) – President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sacked the commander of Brazil’s army Saturday, two weeks after an election-denying mob loyal to his far-right predecessor ransacked the halls of power in Brasilia.

The veteran leftist’s dismissal of Julio Cesar de Arruda came a day before Lula was to make his first trip abroad — to Argentina — as he moves to put the South American powerhouse back on the international stage.

Arroda took office on Dec. 30, two days before Bolsonaro’s term ended, and Lula’s administration endorsed his appointment in early January.

Speaking at the presidential palace in Planalto, Museo said: “After the recent events … On January 8, trust was destroyed.”

De Arruda will be replaced by General Tomás Ribeiro Paeva, 62, who has been the military commander of the southeast since 2021, according to presidential sources.

This comes after Bolsonaro supporters ransacked the presidential palace, Supreme Court and Congress in Brasilia, breaking windows and furniture, destroying priceless works of art, and leaving graffiti messages calling for a military coup.

E.M