2024-02-15 18:28:34
Foto: Shutterstock
Text: Editorial Cuba Noticias 360
The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, decreed a state of emergency that includes a curfew after a series of riots in at least six prisons in that country.
With this measure, Noboa, who began his mandate on November 23, intended that at least its validity of 60 days would allow the action of the Armed Forces, in support of the Police, to control the prisons. But what has happened in Ecuador and why has violence worsened?
This escalation of violence occurs after this Sunday, José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias ‘Fito’, a well-known drug trafficker in that nation and leader of the criminal gang Los Choneros, escaped from the prison where he had to serve a sentence of 34 years.
According to the government’s communications secretary, Roberto Izurieta, the Executive was planning to transfer Macías to a maximum security prison when he escaped, which has sparked incidents throughout the country.
News agencies such as Reuters report that in at least six prisons there have been clashes with prison staff, who have been taken hostage and multiple prisoners have escaped.
The violence also spread to the streets, where several kidnapped police officers remain and explosions have occurred in several places.
Meanwhile, Noboa has declared that he will not negotiate with terrorists and assured that the violence of these criminal gangs is a response to his government’s intention to transfer the gang leaders who remained imprisoned to a high-security prison.
After declaring a state of emergency, which also includes the presence of the military on the streets of Ecuador among other measures, the Ecuadorian president recognized the existence of an internal conflict and ordered the army to neutralize the criminal gangs.
The crisis in the nation occurs after several years of security problems, during which other governments had previously had to declare a state of emergency to face the different crises created by the gangs themselves within the prisons.
In the last seven years, according to the BBC, homicides have increased by 300%, including the murder of senior political officials and more than 400 deaths in prison due to fights between gangs.
For the moment, the head of state has explained his security plan to try to alleviate this situation. The measures include a new intelligence unit, tactical weapons for law enforcement and security and a plan to temporarily hold dangerous prisoners on prison ships.
The authorities continue the search for Macías, who was convicted of drug trafficking, murder and organized crime for which he was serving a 34-year sentence in the La Regional prison in the port of Guayaquil.
Roberto Izurieta asserted that some 3,000 police and military personnel continue the search operation inside the prison where Macías was held, whom he described as a “criminal with extremely dangerous characteristics, with activities that have characteristics of terrorism.” .