The Secretary of Public Security in Ecuador resigns in the face of the wave of violent crimes – Publimetro México

MADRID, 13 (EUROPA PRESS)

In a statement addressed to the Ecuadorian president, Guillermo Lasso, Ordóñez has expressed that “the country is experiencing an unprecedented phenomenon of criminal violence from organized crime and a resurgence of common crime, similar to that experienced by other Latin American nations.”

“In Ecuador it worsens, because to the violent expressions of organized crime, and particularly on these dates, events clearly aimed at creating anxiety and fear among citizens are added,” he added.

The National Secretariat for Public and State Security was created in August 2022, with the aim of coordinating the country’s agencies and developing public policies on Security, Ordóñez was at the forefront from the beginning.

This Wednesday, Lasso met with senior officials of the judicial system, as well as the Attorney General and the President of the Assembly of Ecuador, to address the security crisis facing the country, highlighting through a message on their social networks that “The presence of all shows that we can think of acting together, once morest this common enemy.”

“They want us weak, divided, confronted. The mafias seek to maintain their illegal businesses and have no qualms regarding corroding societies, murdering innocents and disguising themselves with legal clothing. We cannot and will not allow that!”, has sentenced the leader.

ECUADOR IS FACING A CRISIS OF VIOLENCE

For several months, Ecuador has been facing a wave of violent crimes, the most recent being a shooting at a fishing port in the province of Esmeraldas, which left nine dead and four injured.

Also this Wednesday, President Lasso confirmed the arrest of one of those allegedly involved in the attack, a young man from the ‘Los Tiguerones’ gang. At the moment, according to the National Police of Ecuador, there have been three arrests and the groups responsible for the attack have been identified, according to a spokesman commented during a press conference, in statements collected by ‘Primicias’.

On Tuesday morning, a group of around 30 people shot at the Esmeraldas Artisanal Fishing Port, fleeing the place before being apprehended.

The province of Esmeraldas has been the target of a wave of violence perpetrated by armed crime groups for several months. The president declared a state of emergency in the region in early March to try to combat it.

During the first months of 2023, the province has been the scene of homicides, assassinations and hit men, “configuring one of the provinces with the highest levels of insecurity in Ecuador,” according to the Ecuadorian president.