In most countries, gang wars unfold in the shadows. Police collect the bodies, prosecutors hold press conferences, and anyone who avoids the news can pretend nothing is happening. In Rio de Janeiro's favelas, the violence can look more like conventional war: territory changes hands, armed lookouts patrol the hills, and teenagers in flip-flops carry military-grade rifles in the open.
"In Rio de Janeiro, there are three main factions [gangs]," says Fabio Serra, better known as Sagat B. "We have a lot of guns but mainly to fight each other over territory. If the police come, we'll only fight them if there's no other choice—the exchange of gunfire is to cover our escape."
