2024-01-11 00:11:00
We thought Ecuador was protected from drug cartels in an area that we know is very exposed to trafficking. Since Monday January 8, the country has been experiencing an unprecedented security crisis: scenes of chaos in the streets, hostage-taking of police officers, escape of public enemy number one… Faced with this resurgence, the Ecuadorian president, Daniel Noboa, declared on Wednesday January 10 that the country was in a “state of war”.
What started this internal conflict?
The crisis was triggered by the escape on Sunday January 7 of Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito”, head of the country’s main criminal organization detained in a high security prison in Guayaquil (southwest). At the head of Los Choneros, an ultraviolent gang, Adolfo Macia is “public enemy No. 1” in Ecuador. His prison escape destabilized the country. Mutinies in numerous prisons broke out, prompting the Ecuadorian president to declare a state of emergency for 60 days on Monday, January 7.
What is the provisional assessment of the conflict?
All the violence since the start of the crisis has left at least ten dead. The Ecuadorian president estimates that there are “more than 20,000” members of criminal gangs behind the violence and describes them as “terrorists”. After the escape of “Fito”, several hostage-taking of guards affected the prisons. A total of 125 prison guards and 14 administrative agents are being held hostage in at least five prisons, according to the prison administration, which communicates very little on the subject. The Ministry of Education on Tuesday January 9 ordered the closure of all schools until Friday.
What is the drug trafficking situation in Ecuador?
Ecuador, 18 million inhabitants and once a haven of peace, is ravaged by violence after becoming the main export point for cocaine produced in neighboring Peru and Colombia, to Europe or the United States. 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.
How to explain the muscular response of the Ecuadorian president?
The youngest president in the country’s history, Daniel Noboa, 36, was elected on the promise of restoring security in the country. The theme of insecurity was at the heart of the last presidential elections of August and October 2023, marked by the assassination of a candidate, a few days before the first round. According to analysts, the current Ecuadorian president takes an even harder line than his predecessor Guillermo Lasso (2021-2023), who had already engaged in a standoff against criminal gangs, at the origin of a rise violence in the country.
How is the international community reacting?
On the American continent, the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and even Venezuela have rejected the violence. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “very alarmed by the deterioration of the situation” in Ecuador. Same concern on the side of European diplomacy. Its leader, Josep Borrell, said he was “deeply concerned” about the outbreak of violence, denouncing a “direct attack on democracy and the rule of law”. France and Russia have advised their nationals against traveling to the country and Peru has declared a state of emergency along its border.
#understand #internal #conflict #Ecuador #questions