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March 30, 2021 In Brazil earthquake in the Armed Forces.

Edson Leal Pujol, head of the Army, Ilques Barbosa of the Navy and Antonio Carlos Bermudez of the Air Force resigned in protest at the change of six ministers decided by President Jair Bolsonaro.



A sign of protest for the reshuffle that also removed Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo, replacing him with Walter Braga Netto.

"For the first time in history the commanders of all three armed forces have submitted their joint resignations in disagreement with the President," writes the Folha de Sao Paulo  



Bolsonaro had received much criticism for handling the pandemic.

In fact, he has always opposed any anti-contagion confinement measure in the country, which is now decimated by Covid.



In recent months, Azevedo had resisted pressure from Bolsonaro, who wanted the support of the military to impose emergency measures against federal states that are resorting to lockdowns to reduce infections from Covid-19.

Azevedo referred to it in his resignation letter, underlining that he had always wanted to "keep the Armed Forces as an instrument of the State" and therefore not of the Presidency.



Some Brazilian media write that Bolsonaro demanded Azevedo's resignation, after General Paulo Sergio Nogueira, the Army's health manager, called for confinement measures to stop the third wave of infections.



The last time that the three weapons of the Brazilian Armed Forces were left without commanders at the same time dates back to 1985. Now the fact is repeated on the eve of the 57th anniversary of the military coup in 1964, a date considered sensitive in Brazil.