With its lengthy coastline and proximity to coca-producing areas, Ecuador is the latest Latin American country to become a hub of drug trafficking plagued by rising violent crime. Murder rates have climbed over the last half-decade, and the country has recorded more homicides in 2022 than in any previous year. Successive presidents have tried to curb the trend, some with aggressive policing and others with a mix of security and socio-economic reform policies aimed at dimming the allure of illicit livelihoods. Through advocacy and periodic reporting, Crisis Group works to promote the latter approach to crime prevention, which has a better record of reducing violence throughout the region.
Spiking violence in Ecuador has led recently-inaugurated President Daniel Noboa to declare an “internal armed conflict” with criminal groups. In this Q&A, Crisis Group expert Glaeldys González explains how the South American country arrived at this point and the potential consequences of the government’s crackdown.
Violence persisted in strategic drug trafficking enclaves of Ecuador, while relations with Mexico remained strained.
Ecuador’s top court approved state of exception. Constitutional Court 1 Aug partially approved state of exception decree issued by President Noboa in early July on grounds of serious internal unrest rather than internal armed conflict. Noboa 8 Aug decreed new curfews in 19 cantons and one parish in Guayas, Los Ríos, Orellana and Azuay provinces – which are all facing escalating violence – as supplement measure to state of exception. Noboa 30 Aug renewed state of exception for additional 30 days; curfew will also remain in place.
Violence continued despite efforts to clamp down on criminal activities. Notably, Los Lobos and dissident faction Los Lobos Sao box 13 Aug clashed over control of mining area in Camilo Ponce Enriquez canton, Azuay province, killing five. Separately, five prisoners 5 Aug escaped from El Rodeo Prison in Portoviejo city, Manabí province, despite militarisation of prisons. Meanwhile, Attorney General’s Office 19 Aug charged one lawyer and secretary of judicial unit in canton of Valencia, Los Ríos province, for allegedly aiding three individuals from Albanian mafia.
Frictions between Quito and Mexico City persisted. Mexico City 5 Aug urged Quito to grant safe passage to former VP Jorge Glas, whom authorities seized from Mexican embassy in April, requesting his transfer to third country from where he can travel to Mexico to seek asylum. Quito next day rejected request, reiterating that the granting of diplomatic asylum to Glas is illegal.
Political misrule in Ecuador paled in comparison to what you saw … in Peru, and now Ecuador seems far worse off than Peru and Colombia in terms of basic human security.
Can an Election Salvage Latin America's Most Violent Country?
Ecuador’s proximity to major cocaine producers, dollarised economy and corruptible state institutions, as well as COVID-19’s devastating impact, have turned the country into Latin America’s latest hotbed of drug trafficking and other violent crime.
Ecuador has been Latin America’s most unstable democracy for a decade. Starting with the ousting of President Abdalá Bucaram by Congress and street protests in 1997, weak, temporary governments have been the rule.
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