Caparaó Guerrilla



The Caparaó Guerrilla was the second armed insurgency attempt against the Brazilian military dictatorship made by impeached former soldiers. Inspired by the Serra Maestra guerrilla, it took place in the Serra do Caparaó, on the border between the states of Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais, from 1966 to 1967.

History
Promoted by the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR), an organization initially based in Montevideo, the guerrilla had financial support from Cuba, obtained through negotiations between Leonel Brizola, assisted by the A.P. (Popular Action), and the Cuban government. According to Denise Rollemberg, some members of the group - mostly made up of ex-soldiers, expelled from the armed forces - also received training in Cuba. Later, the Cuban government would have preferred to support Carlos Marighella. The movement lost its financial support and the guerrillas were practically abandoned at the top of the mountains.

The attempt to establish a guerrilla movement in the Caparaó mountain range was frustrated before the movement even took action. Its members remained there for a few months, carrying out training and reconnaissance of the region and were arrested by the Minas Gerais Military Police after being reported by the population themselves.

Discovered by the intelligence services, the movement was rejected in April 1967, by a group from the Military Police of the State of Minas Gerais. According to sources, there was practically no exchange of fire. The guerrillas, around twenty exhausted and hungry men - some seriously weakened by the bubonic plague - were arrested at the site where they were sheltering or in neighboring cities. Residents of the region were also detained for investigation. Later, with all the guerrillas arrested, the armed forces began to question whether those men were really revolutionaries or just common criminals. Then, the Minas Gerais police photographed them and also photographed their documents, which proved that they were ex-military. A large joint operation between the Army and the Air Force was then set up, with support from the police, to eliminate other guerrillas who might be hiding in the mountains. However, there was no one else and the operation was nothing more than a show of force with the aim of discouraging other outbreaks of armed resistance across the country.