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Gang members arrested by police with drugs and weapons | Photo: Karen Toro | Source: Reuters
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The wave of violence in Ecuador continues. Several bombs exploded in the capital Quito and two people were killed in an arson attack in the east of the country, the AP agency wrote on Thursday. The situation in prisons remains very tense, where prisoners are held by 180 guards and staff. A wave of violence broke out at the end of last week and President Daniel Noboa declared the state of internal armed conflict in the country. Noboa said 40 countries have offered aid to Ecuador.
Quito
7:49 January 12, 2024 Share on Facebook
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Several explosions rocked Quito on Wednesday but caused little damage. However, police in the Ecuadorian capital were also busy dealing with a number of false reports about bombs being planted.
Two people were killed and nine others were injured in an arson attack in the east of the country. A total of 16 people have died since Sunday. In Guayaquil, the largest city whose port is used by cartels to export cocaine from Colombia and Peru, police and soldiers are patrolling; according to AFP, there are unusually few people on the streets. Schools have suspended classes until Friday and many shops are closed.
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The tense situation in Ecuadorian prisons remains. According to a statement from the SNAI prison administration on Thursday, the inmates are being held by 180 guards and staff, several dozen more people than on Wednesday. In Ecuadorian prisons, where 32,000 inmates are supervised by 2,600 guards, there have been frequent riots and experts say criminal groups have managed to infiltrate police structures.
“We have received help from Argentina and the United States,” Ecuadorian President Noboa said Thursday. According to the president, 40 countries have offered their help to the Latin American country.
“We need military support in the form of personnel, soldiers and support in intelligence activities, artillery and equipment,” Noboa said. A number of countries, including the US and the EU, have condemned the wave of violence in Ecuador. Noboa also wants neighboring countries to get their detained citizens out of Ecuadorian prisons.
Damaged house in Quito | Photo: Karen Toro | Source: Reuters
The crisis in the country erupted after Los Choneros gang leader Adolfo Macías, whom authorities consider the country’s most dangerous criminal, escaped from prison on Sunday.
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In response, the government declared a state of emergency in the country, to which criminal gangs responded with a wave of violence on the streets and in prisons. Then the gunmen interrupted the live broadcast of state television TC on Tuesday. Journalists and television workers were freed by police after several hours. Shortly afterwards, Noboa called up the army to fight the cartels and declared an internal armed conflict.
The current wave of violence is a crucial test for the youngest president in Ecuador’s history. The 36-year-old Noboa, who has been in office since November, is preparing to tighten the regime in the prisons from which gang bosses often run their criminal organizations.
By declaring a state of emergency and a state of internal armed conflict, the military can be more involved in the fight against organized crime. According to authorities, more than 370 suspected gang members have been arrested since Monday. According to the president, there are over 20,000 of them in the country. However, in a difficult situation, Noboa has the support of practically the entire parliament, which is otherwise very fragmented and divided.
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