Ecuador regains control of the country's prisons

In the last few hours, Ecuador has regained control of all the country's prisons. The army has entered the prisons heavily armed and has freed the more than 150 people who remained kidnapped inside, including guards and administrative staff. At least one official was killed during these operations, which were carried out without bloodbaths. The prisoners have been placed in the courtyards, in rows and sitting, with their arms behind their heads, in images reminiscent of those shared by President Nayib Bukele in El Salvador to demonstrate the defeat of the gangs.

The Ecuadorian gangs, dedicated to drug trafficking in alliance with the Mexican cartels, until now exercised control of the prisons; in fact, from inside them, where until recently their main leaders were held, they manage the organization, as if from a command post was involved. Some events suggest that this control of prisons may not be as effective as assumed. From the Esmeraldas prison, located in a region of the same name absolutely co-opted by organized crime, 48 inmates escaped. Two died during a chase. Early Sunday morning, another six escaped from the del Litoral penitentiary, in Guayaquil, when it is assumed that the authorities had already regained control.

The wave of violence that began eight days ago began with the escape of two of the most important leaders in the country, that of José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias Fito, the leader of Los Choneros, considered the most dangerous criminal in Ecuador, and that of Fabricio Colón Pico, a member of Los Lobos. A chain of attacks and attacks followed with which organized crime tried to subdue the authorities. The matter escalated: some hooded men attacked the public channel TC Televisión live, threatening journalists with guns and dynamite. The purpose of this action is a mystery. The dozen assailants, young people, almost children, surrendered as soon as the police arrived at the scene, without offering resistance.

The Ecuadorian president, Daniel Noboa, declared the internal armed conflict, which implies the assumption that there is a war within the country. A curfew has been established, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., and the army patrols the streets. At this time, according to official data, there are more than 1,500 detainees, including 158 accused of “terrorism.” Noboa has decreed that gangs be seen as such, which aggravates the penalties and offers more scope for the authorities to confront them. In addition, there have been 41 operations against these groups, during which five alleged criminals have died, and 27 people who were kidnapped have been released.

The Presidency of the Republic, in a statement, assures that operations will continue throughout the national territory “with a clear objective.” “Be implacable with those who have frightened and taken advantage of citizens.” Noboa has an enormous challenge, that of stopping the violent drift that has taken over the country in the last three years. Until now, two other presidents, Lenín Moreno and Guillermo Lasso, helplessly (or negligently, depending on how you see it) witnessed a deterioration in security in record time. Last year, the homicide rate was 40 per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest in the world. During the time of the leftist Rafael Correa, from 2007 to 2017, it dropped to 5.78, one of the lowest in the region. The Ecuadorian exception has vanished in the blink of an eye.

In a very short time, with the rain of money they receive for having converted the Gulf of Guayaquil into the main cocaine export port in the world, with its exit to the Pacific Ocean, the gangs have achieved a worrying infiltration in the main powers of the State. They have high-ranking judges, prosecutors, police officers, politicians and military personnel on their payroll. They control ports, neighborhoods, markets. Noboa has to deal with all this on a very limited budget. For this reason, he has proposed raising VAT from 12 to 15%, to address the shortage of police and military personnel, but the fact that he does not have a majority in Congress forces him to negotiate with the rest of the political forces, which he does not view favorably. a tax increase. The president has also proposed organizing a referendum, the last week of February or the first week of March, to approve the extension of sentences for serious crimes such as homicide and arms trafficking and the security functions of the Army.

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