Summary - Relevant Events in Ecuador January 11, 2024 - English

Thursday January 11, 2024

Operations and Decrees

Law enforcement forces (military, police, traffic officers, security guards, etc.) are continuously fighting against various criminal gangs in the country.

Thanks to presidential decree 111, 22 gangs, dedicated to various crimes (hired killings, drug trafficking, kidnappings, extortion, terrorism, etc.) have been officially declared as a military target.

It is evident that the country has many brave and very capable men and women when there is cooperation and unity.

Prosecutor’s Office

The Prosecutor’s Office is processing preventive detention for hundreds of criminals arrested in operations against organized crime. Some are listed below:

• 8 for the kidnapping of 3 police officers.
• 15 for planning attacks on the social rehabilitation center (prison) from which they escaped.
• 8 for acts of terrorism in Quevedo, among which are two pregnant women.
• 3 in Guaranda for carrying explosives and weapons.
• 11 in Guayaquil for an attack on the TC television channel.
• 3 for attacks on the San Martín UPC
• 6 for explosions and burning of vehicles in various parts of Loja.

The Prosecutor’s Office requested that a hearing be scheduled to formulate charges against Fabricio Colón Pico, who fled, along with dozens of other prisoners, when he was in preventive detention in the Riobamba prison. This same fugitive criminal uploaded a video to social networks in which he indicates that he is not fleeing and that they have nothing to hide and that he will surrender if they give him guarantees to safeguard his life.

The Prosecutor’s Office additionally continues investigations against former officials linked to various crimes, among them it is known that more than 1 million dollars were detected in the accounts of former minister Javier Córdova in the governments of Rafael Correa and Lenin Moreno, the prosecutor’s office will issue an arrest warrant to Interpol for the crime of illicit enrichment.

News and current status

A video of an unidentified terrorist group was disseminated, in which they verbally attack, criticize and demand the recently inaugurated president Daniel Noboa not to request help from the United States of America and to sign (pact) a peace agreement with them to obtain quality of life.

President Daniel Noboa publicly expressed that they will not negotiate, nor will they reach any agreement with terrorists unlike the last three governments. He exclaims that Ecuadorians are tired of negotiating with terrorists and that if they want war with the armed forces, they should come out and not hide.

It is known that, in many, (if not all) the most important prisons in the country there are corrupt officials who helped in these riots. Two of the most relevant are in the regional prison of Guayaquil, from where Alias Fito, the maximum leader of Los Choneros, escaped.

Until the afternoon of today, Jan. 11, 2024, the riots in the prisons continue and there were still hundreds of hostages in the different prisons of the country.

There is still a presence of criminal gangs in different cities throughout the country, however, it has not escalated compared to the day they synchronized all their attacks to cause chaos in the country. Law enforcement forces have carried out hundreds of operations in all cities of the country, day and night, with considerable and forceful results.

The provinces in which there are more operations are the coastal provinces such as Guayas and Esmeraldas, places where the largest number of terrorist gangs are located.

It is unknown how many days the situation in the country will continue, however, preliminarily, everything indicates that this time things are finally different.

Private companies and citizens of Ecuador donate to law enforcement forces to show their support.

International:

So far, about 38 countries have offered to help Ecuador in the fight against terrorism.

Brazil, Argentina, and the United States offer to send military forces to Ecuador to fight against organized crime. The Ecuadorian president, Daniel Noboa, accepts these offers.

The United States carries out an exchange of Russian and Soviet military weaponry in Ecuador’s possession, in exchange for new varied weaponry valued at 200 million dollars. Russia responds discontentedly, the Russian ambassador Vladímir Sprinchan indicates that the United States does not need this weaponry and that this would constitute a violation of Ecuador’s neutral stance.

The Ecuadorian chancellor, Gabriela Sommerfiel, will appear on friday at the OAS to address the crisis in Ecuador.

General Assembly:

The response is different this time due to the actions taken by both President Daniel Noboa and the stance of 3 PSC, ADN, and Construye benches to protect with amnesties police officers who use force to take down terrorists.

Today, the free trade agreement with China was discussed. The debate was suspended.

The Correismo bench (UNES) criticizes the Minister of Government Mónica Palencia and the State Attorney General Diana Salazar. Paola Cabezas from Correismo says that she should not be idolized since “that’s what she is paid for”, and that the prosecutor does not serve the country’s interests.

The Minister of Government Mónica Palencia responded to Correismo stating that during Rafael Correa’s government, the country was handed over to criminal gangs when a pact was made with them.