[ad_1]
Fear spread in Ecuador on Wednesday, with streets empty and classes interrupted by prison riots, police kidnappings and live-streamed attacks following the disappearance of two gang leaders on Monday. was canceled and many people were afraid to leave their homes. TV station.
Even for a country accustomed to violence, the events that rocked Ecuador this week were shocking.
“I feel like the world I used to know is gone,” said Maria Ortega, a schoolteacher in the vast coastal city of Guayaquil. “You know how things start, but you don’t know how they end.”
The incident began when soldiers stormed into a prison in Guayaquil and riots broke out in prisons across South America after powerful gang leader Adolfo Macias disappeared from his cell. The inmates captured the guards, and dozens of detainees escaped, including another prominent gang leader.
Violence quickly spreads to cities and towns, and drug gangs are infested. Explosions were reported, police officers were kidnapped, hospitals were occupied, and cars were set on fire. When the bus stopped in Guayaquil, people jumped into the backs of trucks and rushed home, sparking a gun battle between police and gunmen, including near a school.
By the end of the bloody day, authorities said, at least 11 people had died across the country, including famed musician Diego Gallardo, 31, who was in his car on his way to pick up his son from school. (years old) was also included. when he was hit by a stray bullet.
The unrest reached its peak on Tuesday afternoon, when armed men briefly occupied Guayaquil’s TC television during a live broadcast, taking hostages and staffers and demanding that the government send a message not to interfere with the “mafia.”
Shortly thereafter, the country’s President Daniel Novoa declared an “internal armed conflict” and directed the military to “neutralize” two dozen gangs in the country, which the government labeled “terrorist organizations.”
Mr. Novoa positioned this declaration as a turning point.
“We are fighting for the peace of our nation,” the president said in a radio address to the nation on Wednesday. “We are also fighting a terrorist group, which currently consists of 20,000 people.” They want me to call them an organized crime group. Because it’s easier. If they are terrorists and we are in a state of conflict or war, other laws apply. ”
In Ecuador, the presidential declaration was widely seen as a turning point in the crisis that has gripped the once-peaceful country over the past two years, as the country of nearly 18 million people comes under the control of an increasingly powerful drug-trafficking industry. It was done.
International drug cartels that reach as far as Albania have teamed up with local prison and street gangs, sparking a wave of violence unprecedented in the country’s recent history. Murder rates rose to record levels.
Mr. Noboa signaled the start of a new fight to defeat the gangs and restore peace to Ecuador.
“We’re not going to let society die a slow death,” he said.
Ecuador’s military commander, Jaime Vela Eraso, said the military was targeting criminal organizations he called terrorists. He announced that the government will take strict measures.
“We have no intention of withdrawing or negotiating,” he said in a statement. “Goodness, justice and order cannot ask permission or bow down to terrorists.”
But many are divided on what this government move means, with some expressing support and saying it is a desperately needed step to crack down on gang violence, while others Some saw it as a slippery slope towards a military state targeting civilians.
“The declaration of an internal conflict is very worrying,” said Katherine Casanova, a 28-year-old social worker whose family was recently attacked by armed groups near Guayaquil. “In the midst of pain, I want to cling to anything that gives me some sense of security, but I fear the repercussions of declaring internal conflict or militarizing. Perhaps again. My brethren will be among the dead.”
Novoa’s declaration comes on the heels of a referendum that would increase prison terms for crimes such as murder and arms trafficking, target money launderers and create a system of special courts to protect judges.
Many have compared Mr. Noboa’s proposed referendum and moves to strengthen security to President Nayib Boucle’s authoritarian campaign against drug cartels in El Salvador. made myself.
Fernando Carrion of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, a regional research and analysis group that studies violence and drug trafficking, said the government’s measures are “much more aggressive” than previous measures to quell gang violence. Stated.
“The public has responded favorably to this decision,” he said, but added that it would be difficult to counter gangs this large and entrenched.
Experts said bringing the military into the conflict could lead to prolonged violence and bloodshed, as happened in Colombia. In Colombia, Plan Colombia, a U.S.-backed policy some 20 years ago, has been criticized for treating large swaths of the population. As an internal enemy.
“The situation is likely to continue for a long time, get worse and reach historic levels,” said Graeldis González, a fellow at the International Crisis Group specializing in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“What I’m more concerned about is a declaration of internal armed conflict by the president. The question is how that will be translated into practice,” she added.
“Who can be classified as a ‘terrorist’ or a member of a ‘terrorist group’?” González said. “This is an open question and the military appears to have discretion over who is targeted.”
Although the streets were largely quiet on Wednesday, prison authorities said the country’s prisons were still not secured and nearly 140 guards and staff were still held hostage.
As gangs proliferate, the country’s crumbling prisons have served as gang headquarters and recruitment centers. Around a quarter of the country’s 36 prisons are believed to be run by gangs.
Macias, the leader of a group called Los Choneros, disappeared Sunday from the Guayaquil prison, which his group mainly controls. Fabricio Colon Pico, the leader of another gang, Los Lobos, went missing from a prison in central Riobamba early Tuesday morning.
On the streets, people were divided over the government’s pledge to confront gangs and take back control of the country’s prisons, which have been hotbeds of chaos.
“I’m scared and anxious,” said María José Chancay, a music producer from Guayaquil. His friend, Gallardo, died in the crossfire on Tuesday. “We feel that the measures taken by the authorities will not help and will only lead to further violence.”
But some said the government needed to take decisive action if the country was to reverse the bloodshed. A video posted on Wednesday and shared on social media showed shoppers clapping and cheering as a procession of soldiers entered a Guayaquil grocery store.
Ortega, a schoolteacher, said she had “mixed feelings” about safety measures. “It’s scary, but I have to admit it was a relief. And it’s scary to think and feel that.”
Tully Ponce I contributed a report from Guayaquil, Ecuador.
[ad_2]
Source link
