2024-01-10 07:12:00
In Ecuador, armed militants began a large-scale rebellion. They took the presenters of an Ecuadorian TV channel hostage and mined the TV studio. There are 139 people held in prisons. Nothing is known about the whereabouts of the country’s two most dangerous bandits. What caused the armed rebellion in Ecuador – read the material URA.RU.
What started the rebellion?
On January 7, the country’s Prosecutor General’s Office reported riots that began in Ecuadorian penitentiaries. This happened due to the escape from prison in the city of Guayaquil of the leader of the Los Choneros criminal group, Adolfo Macias, nicknamed Fito. On the morning of January 8, he was supposed to be transferred to the La Roca maximum security prison, but he was not in his cell. Nobody knows where he is.
“Los Choneros” is a criminal group that appeared in 2005 in the canton of Chone in the province of Manabi. She has a record of extortion, contract killings and drug trafficking. Ecuador’s intelligence services call Los Choneros the armed wing of the Colombian cartel, which has interests within the country. In August 2023, shortly before his death, Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio reported threats from Macias. He was shot on August 9. The Los Lobos criminal group claimed responsibility for the murder.
On January 9, armed men attacked the studio of the TC Televisión television channel in Guayaquil and took the presenters hostage live. After the incident, the Ecuavisa TV channel and the Vistazo magazine began evacuating their workers. The participants in the attack were detained and the hostages were released. The perpetrators will be charged with terrorism.
Bandits in prisons began taking guards and administrative employees hostage. Initially, according to media reports, only ten men were known to be held by the bandits. It was later reported that the gangs were holding at least 139 people in the Azuay No. 1, Cañar No. 2, Napo No. 1, Tungurahua No. 1, and Cotopaxi No. 1 prisons.
Another leader of the Los Lobos criminal group, Fabricio Colon Pico, escaped from prison on January 10. He was one of 39 prisoners who managed to escape from custody in the Riobamba prison.
National police said at least ten people were killed in armed unrest in Ecuador. Before this, a police spokesman said eight people were killed.
How did the government react to the rebellion?
- Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said the country is declaring a 60-day state of emergency to establish order in prisons. He noted that conducting peace negotiations with terrorists is impossible. Afterwards, the head of state introduced a regime of “internal armed conflict.”
- Noboa ordered the neutralization of 22 criminal groups numbering tens of thousands of people. The head of the country’s unified command of the armed forces, Jaime Vela Eraso, called criminal gangs legitimate military targets.
- In Guayaquil, roads were blocked and the station was stopped. City residents were urged not to leave their homes.
- Military weapons were deployed to the center of the capital of Ecuador after cases of looting were noticed in the central areas of Quito. Security measures have been strengthened at the city airport.
World reaction
- Peru is strengthening its border with Ecuador with special forces. A state of emergency was also declared there to prevent “thugs who escaped from prison” from entering the country.
- The US knows about the insurrection. The American government is coordinating steps with Ecuador and is ready to provide assistance.
- There are currently no incidents with Russians due to the aggravation of the situation in Ecuador. This was announced by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.
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