Belgium Considers Deploying Troops in Brussels

(MENAFN) Belgium's Defense Minister Theo Francken has indicated that military forces could be sent to patrol the streets of Brussels before year’s end, as the federal government faces intensifying pressure to confront a spike in urban violence and reestablish control in the nation’s capital.

The city has already recorded approximately 60 gun-related incidents in 2025, with nearly a third occurring over the summer months. Two fatalities have been linked to the violence, according to local media.

The alarming trend prompted Security and Home Affairs Minister Bernard Quentin to label the situation “a catastrophe” last month. He warned of a growing boldness among criminal networks and advocated for the use of combined patrols involving both police and military personnel in what he described as “criminal hotspots in Brussels.” Quentin emphasized the need for a forceful strategy to deliver a “shock effect.”

Speaking to media in an interview published Saturday, Francken, of the Flemish nationalist N-VA party, expressed conditional support for the proposal, stressing that any military deployment must be both legally grounded and limited in scope.

“I’m always open to increasing security in Brussels,” said Francken, a politician widely recognized for his stringent views on immigration. “The situation has become dire, both in terms of security and on a political and societal level.” He further noted that the unrest in Brussels “affects nearby regions.”

While reaffirming that law enforcement remains the responsibility of the police, Francken acknowledged the military’s potential role. “Security falls to the police, not to the army. However, when the Interior Minister asks me, it becomes a task for Defense, which must protect the nation,” he said. “Is it possible to put soldiers on the streets before the end of the year? I didn’t say yes, but I didn’t say no.”

Brussels' public prosecutor Julien Moinil recently disclosed that the capital had witnessed 57 shootings by mid-August, 20 of them during the summer alone. He stressed the need for an aggressive, unified response to gang violence, warning that “anyone, every Brussels resident and every citizen, can be hit by a stray bullet.”

A report by media characterized Brussels as the “gun crime capital of Europe,” identifying neighborhoods like Anderlecht and Molenbeek—long linked to narcotics and organized crime—as key centers of the surge in shootings.

According to Statbel, the national statistics agency, nearly half (46%) of Brussels' population is foreign-born—27% from outside the European Union—compared to just 18% across Belgium. Officials have cited these demographic realities as contributing factors to the city's mounting social and security pressures.

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