2024-01-11 02:02:44
Ecuador entered on Wednesday, according to President Daniel Noboa, a “state of war” once morest the criminal gangs linked to drug trafficking at the origin of an unprecedented wave of violence in the country which has left at least 14 dead since Monday .
Hundreds of soldiers are patrolling the almost deserted streets of the capital Quito, with residents hiding in their homes for fear of a new episode of violence that is causing concern in the international community.
Sunday’s escape from Guayaquil’s high-security prison by the feared leader of the Choneros gang, Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito”, and mutinies in many of the country’s prisons triggered a muscular response from President Daniel Noboa, 36, elected in the fall on the promise of restoring security in the country.
“National peace”
“We are in a state of war and we cannot give in to these terrorist groups,” Mr. Noboa assured Wednesday following declaring the country in “internal armed conflict” the day before.
“We are fighting for national peace, we are also fighting once morest terrorist groups which today have more than 20,000 members,” he added.
The youngest president in the history of Ecuador on Monday declared a state of emergency for 60 days throughout the country, including in prisons which have become centers of operation for drug traffickers.
“Fito” had already escaped from a high-security prison in 2013, before being recaptured following three months. His name made headlines in the press following the assassination in early August of one of the main presidential candidates, who had reported death threats from the leader of the Choneros shortly before his execution.
This gang, of around 8,000 men according to experts, has become the main player in the flourishing drug trade in Ecuador.
Several mutinies and hostage-taking of guards have affected various prisons since Monday, relayed by frightening videos broadcast on social networks showing the captives threatened by the knives of masked inmates and the execution of at least two guards by firearm and hanging.
Of the hundred guards and administrative agents held hostage in at least five prisons, according to the prison administration, 41 were released.
Armed Forces Commander Jaima Vela said Wednesday that 329 “terrorists” had been arrested, “five were killed” and 28 escaped prisoners were recaptured. The latest official toll is 14 dead, including two police officers.
“Concrete measures”
Armed men even burst into the set of a public television station in Guayaquil on Tuesday, taking journalists and employees hostage until the police intervened.
The same day, another gang leader (Los Lobos), Fabricio Colon Picole, also escaped.
The United States, the European Union, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and even Venezuela have condemned this violence.
White House spokesman John Kirby said the United States was ready to take concrete measures, but ruled out any “military support.”
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is “very alarmed by the deterioration of the situation” in Ecuador, said his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
France and Russia have advised their nationals once morest traveling to the country and Peru has declared a state of emergency along its border. Colombia also announced reinforcements on its border with Ecuador.
Ecuadorian security forces have released images of their interventions since Sunday in various penitentiaries, showing hundreds of detainees in their underwear, hands on their heads and lying unceremoniously on the ground.
These images recall the communication of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, credited with having restored, thanks to his “war” once morest gangs, security in his country, at the cost of restricting the rights of detainees according to rights organizations of man.
Ecuador, once a haven of peace, is wracked by violence following becoming the main export point for cocaine produced in neighboring Peru and Colombia. Assassinations there increased by 800% between 2018 and 2023, going from six to 46 per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2023, 7,800 homicides were recorded and 220 tonnes of drugs seized.
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