Quito. Violence in prisons and on the streets, as well as a scandal surrounding an alleged pact between President Guillermo Lasso’s government and drug gangs, marked the past week in Ecuador.
Lasso on July 24 imposed a 60-day state of emergency on all prisons in the country, citing “serious internal unrest” at those facilities and 137 officers being taken hostage.
On the same day, 2,700 soldiers intervened in the Litoral detention center in the coastal city of Guayaquil to contain the unrest that had started three days earlier. Violence then erupted again in cities such as Esmeraldas and Guayaquil. Criminals set fire to vehicles, attacked state facilities with explosives, and there were shootings in public places and other crimes.
After these events shouted the leaders of several drug gangs quieted down and said they had struck a deal with the government. Lasso categorically denied this and assured that he would not negotiate with those who were outside the law.
Initially, although relative calm was achieved, the violence did not stop. Two police officers were killed in Samborondón, Guayas, on Friday. In Esmeraldas there were gunfights between soldiers and gang members.
Also on Friday, soldiers again stormed the Litoral prison “to gain control and ensure security in this prison,” according to the armed forces was called.
The President on Monday declared states of emergency and curfews in the provinces of Manabí and Los Ríos and in the municipality of Durán in Guayas to curb insecurity in those areas. He has already used this measure more than ten times during the current term of office. Meanwhile, the number of violent deaths continues to rise.
One of the victims was the mayor of Manta – Ecuador’s third-largest city – Agustín Intralgo, who was shot dead last Sunday while exiting the inauguration of a construction site in the city. Soccer player Ariana Estefanía Chancay was also killed in the armed attack and several people were injured.
Other public figures, political candidates and journalists have been attacked or received death threats in recent weeks.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, expressed on Thursday his “deep concern” at the recent upsurge in violence, fueled in part by gangs. These competed for control of the drug trade as well as gang violence inside and outside the prison system. He called on the government to undertake comprehensive reforms of the criminal justice system, including prisons, which are often the scene of riots.
In the past week alone, 31 inmates have been killed and 12 injured in clashes between rival gangs at Litoral prison. Over the past two years, more than 450 prisoners have died in such riots, that is, in the custody of the Lasso-led state.
The population is demanding effective measures from the government to contain the insecurity. However, this proves difficult if the Ministry of Interior does not use the allocated budget to strengthen the security forces. In the first half of the year, the department spent just 8.8 percent of the $96.9 million earmarked for fighting crime. This in turn means that the police lack equipment and protection.
The Lasso government is unable to contain the violence and criminal activities, despite the state of emergency declared in several provinces and cities since March. There is growing concern about how badly this situation could affect the election scenario.
Presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for August 20th. The referendums on oil production in an area of the Yasuní National Park and on mining in the Chocó Andino, a biosphere reserve northwest of the capital Quito, are also scheduled to take place on this day.