After the initial shock of seeing the country succumb to an “internal armed conflict,” to use the official terminology, caused by criminals who even allowed themselves to break into live television and point guns at their customers the government of Daniel Noboa used all its weapons to reverse the situation. And the outcome is hopeful at the moment.
The Commander of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces, Admiral Jaime Vela, has informed the country that the impressive security device (no less than 22,400 soldiers) has led to the arrest of 329 terrorists from various criminal organizations who have taken up arms.
In addition, five of these terrorists were killed, 41 kidnapped people were rescued, and 25 prisoners who escaped from prisons in the country were located and arrested. A total of 280 military operations were launched.
This is just a first step in addressing a problem that is far from resolved, as at least 139 prison officers are being held in five prisons in the country (Azuay, Cañar, Napo, Tungurahua and Cotopaxi), although their health status is unknown. , according to the Ecuadorian newspaper “El Universo” and reported by Europa Press.
An unprecedented crisis
This special security plan also enabled the seizure of 61 firearms, 418 ammunition of various calibers, 24 explosive devices, nine boats, 195 vehicles, almost twenty communication devices and 23 kilograms of “controlled substances”.
The Ecuadorian government's order to impose a state of emergency following the escape from prison of Los Choneros leader José Adolfo Macías, alias “Fito,” has unleashed chaos in a country that has been suffering an unprecedented surge in uncertainty for years due to the activities of armed groups. The spiral of violence, which has left at least 10 people dead, including two police officers, prompted President Daniel Noboa to issue a decree declaring that Ecuador was in an “internal armed conflict.”
Prison for TV perpetrators
On the other hand, this Wednesday a judge from Ecuador ordered preventive detention for the commission of terrorist crimes against eleven of the thirteen people arrested for the takeover of the Ecuadorian broadcaster TC Televisión, which was attacked by a group of armed, masked men in an instigated attack A wave of violence was unleashed across the country.
The other two detainees, minors, were taken as a preventative measure to a detention center where terrorism is also alleged; All were between 16 and 26 years old, said General César Zapata, commander of the national police, quoted by the Ecuadorian newspaper Metroecuador, reports Europa Press.
The crime of terrorism in Ecuador is punishable by a minimum of 16 years in prison and a maximum of 26 years, while for minors a prison sentence of between four and eight years is imposed.