Daniel Noboa is getting tougher. A day after declaring the existence of an “internal armed conflict” in Ecuador, the president confirmed it “We are in a state of war and cannot give in to these terrorists”. He said this this Wednesday in an interview with a local radio station in Quito, the Ecuadorian capital, referring to the crisis of violence that his country has been experiencing since Monday: “The days of lukewarm governments are over”. The President stated that the 22 gangs identified as terrorist groups consist of more than 20,000 people. Noboa explained that the declared state of war means that these groups now These are military objectives. “If they are terrorists and we live in a state of conflict or war, different laws apply, international humanitarian law also applies, which is different from that which is usual in Ecuador,” he said.
He pointed out that the wave of violence that the country is experiencing is not a coincidence, but a response of crime and drug trafficking to which his government began to respond a security plan and fight against corruption. “Now that we are establishing the state of non-international armed conflict, they want to abide by the Geneva Treaty; Now they're talking about human rights. They have forty or sixty hostages in a prison and they talk about human rights. “You’re scared,” he remarked, pointing out They “fight drug terrorism”. By this Wednesday they had registered 11 people died in violent incidentsmainly in Guayaquil, epicenter of the conflict. It is the second most important city in the country after the capital, but also the city with the greatest economic importance. Due to its coastal geographical location, it is central to international drug trafficking and drug transportation to the United States and Europe. In these three days more than 40 acts of violence. The events included the attack on a television station, a university and a hospital and other public places, as well as the burning of private vehicles and buses, the detonation of explosives, including car bombs.
So far, the Ecuadorian police have reported this 70 arrests for the attacks carried out in Ecuador, since November 8th. Detainees will be prosecuted for terrorism, which includes: Penalty of 10 to 13 years in prison. Among them are police kidnappers and the group of masked men who broke into the live broadcast of the TC Televisión channel armed with rifles and grenades. Government and Interior Minister Mónica Palencia said there were no military casualties “but we had to regret the death of our police officers,” referring to two agents murdered 37 kilometers north of Guayaquil.
The situation of the people in the area is still unknown. 171 prison officers kidnapped by the prisoners of seven Ecuadorian prisons following the riots that have taken place since Monday. On Tuesday Videos of executions circulated to officials on social networks, but the veracity of which has not been confirmed by authorities. Several threats against President Daniel Noboa have been recorded from prisons. The images show the leaders being held and threatened with knives. In some footage, agents are forced to read messages written by criminals.
The streets in Quito have now been partially militarized 700 military and 400 police which protect the historic center where the presidency, vice presidency, mayor's office and other official offices are located. The legislature also took measures within the framework of the internal state of war. The National Assembly, in a statement supported by all the political parties that make up it, expressed its support for the Armed Forces, the National Police and other officials responsible for maintaining security and peace in the face of the wave of violence that the country is experiencing are responsible and announced that will issue “pardons and/or amnesties.” in cases where this is necessary to ensure that they can carry out their task. In a statement released on
In their statement, lawmakers supported the measures taken by the government and called for those responsible for the prison breakouts to be identified and punished. “the highest severity of the law”; and announced that they will give legislative priority to security regulations in the works, including reform of the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code. Noboa expressed exactly that yesterday It is necessary to understand the institutional scope of its internal war. “We cannot fight this unilaterally, and it is not just a bullet, it also has a judicial function.” “We will also consider judges who support these terrorist groups as part of the terrorist group,” he said in the interview.
Beyond the border
The President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, reported that he would try to do so Extradition of around 1,500 foreign prisoners. He said that the majority are Colombians, Peruvians and Venezuelans, while confirming that he will build two large maximum security prisons with the same company that installed some The saviour.
Meanwhile, in Peru, Defense Minister Jorge Chávez announced an audit to determine whether the ammunition used by criminals in Ecuador came from the armed forces of Ecuador, as an “alleged possibility” was identified that there were videos of the attack on the channel TC Televisión in Guayaquil.
At the same time, the Peruvian government declared the entire border – more than 1,400 kilometers – with Ecuador a state of emergency and will increase surveillance by police and military contingents. This Wednesday the Ecuadorian Armed Forces showed a video of a shooting in Huaquillasnear the border with Peru.
For their part, the US and Chinese embassies announced the cancellation of all consular appointments and France recommended its citizens not to travel to Ecuador. Within the country, in the affected cities, despite functioning public transport, there are few people on the streets and fear among their residents.