Another chapter of violence was written in Ecuador this week, raising concerns as the country prepares for a crucial presidential runoff election between left-wing Luisa González and liberal businessman Daniel Noboa on October 15.
The week began with at least four separate car bomb explosions within hours of each other, half of them reported in the capital, Quito. Authorities arrested six people and said the blasts were caused by gas cylinders, fuel, dynamite, and a slow fuse. No one was injured.
According to President Guillermo Lasso, the recent wave of attacks is linked to the relocation of notorious arrested gang leaders, some of whom have been transferred to maximum security prisons. Among the inmates are members of the Los Lobos gang, which is believed to operate in Ecuador on behalf of powerful Mexican drug cartels.
Ecuatorianos:
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) August 31, 2023
Las medidas que hemos tomado, en especial, en el sistema penitenciario, han generado reacciones violentas de las organizaciones criminales que pretenden amedrentar al Estado. Pero estamos firmes y no vamos a retroceder en el objetivo de capturar a peligrosos…
These factions, seen as being behind the brutal escalation of violence in Ecuador in recent years, are also seen as a key element in the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in early August. Christian Zurita, who replaced the murdered candidate in the first round, said this week that he would leave the country to avoid the same fate.
These episodes were followed by new prison riots in which 50 prison guards and a smaller group of seven police officers were taken hostage. The largest such riots occurred in the penitentiary of Cueca, the capital of the Andean province of Azuay, but similar events took place in other cities.
As of this Friday, the local press reported that some of these hostages had been released, but official updates remain contradictory. Under a state of exception since the death of Mr. Villavicencio, Ecuador has deployed hundreds of military officers to the surroundings of gang-dominated detention centers.
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