The perimeters were invaded and occupied within 11 hours, in which time a large body of the traffickers fled through the forests and symbolically a Brazilian flag was erected atop the main favela hill Morro do Alemão.

Colonel Carlos Alberto de Lima asserts that the most difficult period was faced in the early days of occupation when the media and civil society showed little confidence in the army's ability.

He details two outbreaks which devastated the soldiers and caused serious detriment to the mission at hand - the widespread contraction of hepatitis and dengue.

These illnesses left a significant swathe of the army population unwell and meant that senior officials had to rethink community hygiene logistics.