Ecuador’s Gang Violence in check!
Quito, Oct 26 (EFE).-
Ecuador’s Security Bloc, made up of the National Police and the armed forces, has “taken full control” of the city of Guayaquil, one of the country’s hardest hit by gang violence.
“Zero truce and zero impunity for the mafias. The government is in the streets,” wrote Defense Minister Gian Carlo Lofredo on his social media accounts, accompanied by videos of the arrival of military personnel in Guayaquil.
The capital of southwestern Guayas province is the country’s most populous city, and the scene of a car bombing earlier this month.
The police also reported on the deployment of an operation against organized crime to guarantee citizen security and “recover public spaces.”
Tactical teams and specialized intelligence and investigation units are acting “with firmness and precision in the territory,” remaining on the front line to confront the gangs and restore order in priority areas, the police noted in a statement.
“Through targeted actions, permanent patrols, and concrete results,” the police reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining an “effective presence in the various districts of Guayas, neutralizing threats, dismantling criminal networks, and strengthening public peace,” they insisted.
A car bomb exploded in Guayaquil earlier this month, killing one person and injuring 30. In recent days, law enforcement has ruled out the possibility of explosives in abandoned packages and even another possible car bomb, after a vehicle was abandoned, without explanation, on a busy road in the south of the city.
Ecuador is experiencing an unprecedented escalation of violence, fueled by the increased activity of organized criminal gangs, linked—according to the government—to drug trafficking and illegal mining, among other activities.
This situation led President Daniel Noboa to declare an “internal armed conflict” in January 2024 against criminal organizations, which he called “terrorists.” EFE
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