«With the recent wave of violence, the gangs have demonstrated their power to the government, but the unrest here is nothing new», says Andrea Cianferoni of Cefa, explaining how the Bolognese NGO creates development alternatives for young people
«Unfortunately, the serious unrest in January in Ecuador did not represent anything new for us: for some years the situation in the country has been degenerating, including attacks on shopping centres, threats of terrorist acts, murders. I believe that the recent wave of violence constitutes a strategy by the gangs to try to create chaos and demonstrate their power to the government.” This is how Andrea Cianferoni speaks from Quito, who has been in Ecuador for eighteen years where he coordinates the projects of Cefa, a non-governmental organization from Bologna which for half a century has helped the poorest communities in the world to achieve food self-sufficiency and respect for fundamental rights.
In the eyes of the aid worker, the bitterness of someone who has seen a country grow economically, become almost a model of development at a regional level and then, in the last six years, fall to the ground, shines through. The state of emergency proclaimed for sixty days by President Daniel Noboa on January 8 after the escape from prison in Guayaquil of José Adolfo Macías Villamar, known as “Fito”, leader of the criminal group “Los Choneros”; the night curfew and then the declaration of an “internal armed conflict” were the tip of the iceberg in a nation where the concept of tranquility is relative. The presence of gangs is very strong and often does not allow young people to see any other opportunities other than being part of them.
What is the situation in the country at the moment?
«At the beginning of January it truly seemed as if a war had broken out: shops and public offices were closed. The confusion was fueled by news which, in many cases, later turned out to be untrue. Of course, the scenes of the attack on public television generated concern, but it must be underlined that what happened in those days was perhaps more concentrated, but in fact it is what we see in everyday life. Little by little, we returned to the normality that existed before the events: shops reopened and almost all schools returned to in-person classes after having held distance learning for a few weeks. This “normality”, however, does not mean safety.”
President Noboa ordered military forces to neutralize the 22 criminal groups identified as “terrorists”. What do people think of the iron fist of the authorities?
«Right now the State is intervening with many military operations, arresting people and seizing weapons. Many wonder why these actions were not taken sooner. One of the main problems is that criminal groups diversify their activity: in addition to drug trafficking, they engage in illegal mining (for example, gold), prostitution, human trafficking, arms trafficking. In the city, they commit extortion: in Quevedo 40-50% of the shops have closed due to the events of recent months and years. The province of Esmeraldas is now totally in the hands of the gangs and the presence of the state is very limited. In my opinion, people, in many cases, have resigned themselves. She is happy with the arrests: even if I personally don’t know where they put all those people, given that the prisons were and are collapsing. The situation is complex: despite the efforts, the murders and clashes between gangs for power, territory and markets continue. To generate change, force is not enough: you need a structured, long-term program.”
Young people are fascinated by crime. They see that joining gangs generates wealth and think that this is the only possible source of income.
«For several years, Ecuador has been experiencing a very deep economic crisis, linked to the international situation and the very high level of debt left by previous governments. The nation is growing little, there are many unemployed and there is little industry. There is a lack of social policies and sustainable alternatives. Many times, those born or live in the most dangerous areas, such as the marginal neighborhoods of large cities, have the criminal model as their only model. An example: last year I saw images of a Christmas party with children dancing and singing a song praising crime and making gestures reminiscent of gangs. This happens because they have no other examples to follow, nor a support structure that shows them a different model.”
However, alternatives exist. And Cefa, with its integral interventions for sustainable and inclusive agricultural development, offers some of them.
«We work in rural areas in various provinces of the country to generate development of production chains through an integral approach. We work with farmers’ organizations improving production through agroecological systems, for example biofactories, and we help associations strengthen their administrative and commercial management capacity by involving young people, so that they take on more responsibilities. We also take care of the processing of products, to improve their quality and connect them to a market. I lived thirteen years in the Amazon: here, in very sensitive areas, we implement the traditional production systems of indigenous communities such as the chakra. Our philosophy is to generate capacity, with particular attention to young people and women, who are increasingly excluded from the productive, associative and commercial aspects.”
Work with local governments to improve cocoa, coffee, quinoa, plantain and cassava supply chains: what results are you getting?
«We have been supporting organizations that have been producing coffee for decades: also in this case we have involved young people, making them participate in training courses and international certification programs. For women we have promoted youth micro-entrepreneurship projects, thanks to which already productive businesses have been created: the objective is to bring consumers back to drinking “traditional” coffee and not just instant coffee. The organizations we work with are already exporting roasted coffee to European markets and especially to the United States. Even the cocoa bars produced by some of the companies we support are landing all over the world.”
Last August, 60% of Ecuadorians voted to stop oil drilling in the Yasuní National Park, but now the president has proposed a moratorium to continue extraction: how central is the environmental issue in Ecuador?
«Yasuní is an area of extraordinary ecological importance and one of the places with the greatest biodiversity on the planet, where uncontaminated populations live. At the time of former president Correa, there was talk of Ecuador’s willingness to give up its oil wells, to defend the environment, in exchange for international aid, but in the end the donors could not be found and the experiment failed. Thus oil began to be extracted. The referendum envisages – in an unspecified timeframe – no longer carrying out exploration or drilling activities for new wells, and dismantling the plants by carrying out environmental regeneration. Immediately after the victory of the “yes”, however, Noboa’s predecessor, Guillermo Lasso, mindful of the millionaire investments made, was already looking for alternatives to continue extracting. And now the president proposes current state, the country’s economy cannot do without oil, so the objective is to reactivate the sector to increase production to half a million barrels per day. With all due respect to the environment.”