Nine people were killed in a shootout between militias and drug lords on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, local police said.

The shootout took place Sunday morning when some drug dealers were trying to recover control of the Kelsons neighborhood, from where they had been expelled by the militia. Four members of the militia, including one off duty policeman, and five drug dealers were killed in the battle, said one source.

The Rio State Police Department had been warned by an anonymous source that armed suspects were trying to invade the Kelsons neighborhood, in the northern zone of the capital. The favela is currently under the control of militias, which offer protection against drug trafficking, but does not rely on the participation of public security authorities.

But Rio Governor Sergio Cabral said on Sunday that the militia, mainly constituting former and current law enforcement unit members, is as dangerous as any other parallel power. He added that the involvement of policemen in any such illegal practice will not be tolerated.

(Xinhua News Agency February 11, 2007)