Ecuador finds itself plunged into turmoil this Saturday, October 7, the day after the death of six Colombian detainees in one of the prisons of the Guayaquil penitentiary complex. These six prisoners were incarcerated for their involvement in the assassination of centrist presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, prison authorities said.
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A new massacre in Ecuador, where the wave of violence continues. On October 6, six Colombian detainees were killed during “ troubles » in one of the prisons of Guayaquil, in the southwest of the country. “ The six people deprived of their liberty (PPL) died » in Guayas 1 prison in Guayaquil « are of Colombian nationality and were charged with the assassination of former presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio “, indicated the prison administration in a press release.
The bodies of the six men were found in wing 7 of the Littoral prison, while they were detained in another wing, reports our correspondent in Quito, Eric Samson. They were apparently not tortured and showed no signs of injury, as if they had not defended themselves before being hanged, according to prison authorities.
For the moment, the authorities have provided few details on this killing, which occurs a few days of the second round of the presidential electionon October 15, between Luisa Gonzalez, close to former socialist president Rafael Correa, and Daniel Noboa, a right-wing candidate.
This Friday, the prosecution announced on X (formerly Twitter) that “ faced with the unrest that occurred Friday afternoon “, specialized military personnel were going to enter Ward 7 of Guayas 1 prison, where the violence allegedly started, to ” take charge of the situation “.
“The truth will be known”
Right-wing President Guillermo Lasso, who was on a private trip to New York and expected in South Korea for an official visit, immediately cut short his foreign tour. He announced on X that he was returning to Ecuador to convene a meeting of senior security officials. “ Neither complicity nor concealment. Here the truth will be known “, he assured in reaction.
Following the information of the seis crimes that occurred at the Centro de Privación de Libertad No. 1, en Guayaquil, he posted, immediately, at the Security Guard.
In the near future, we will return to Ecuador to wait for this emergency.
Neither complicity nor…
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) October 7, 2023
On August 9, MP Fernando Villavicencio, a 59-year-old former journalist and one of the favorites for the first round of the presidential election, had been shot dead by a commando of killers at the end of a campaign meeting in Quito, eleven days before the election. These six Colombians executed this Friday had a serious criminal past and were then arrested in flagrante delicto. In total, around ten people were arrested during the ensuing investigation.
A few days ago, the United States offered 5 million dollars for any information leading to the arrest of the intellectual authors of the assassination of candidate Villavicencio. The death of the six Colombian hitmen now makes the task particularly difficult.
In reaction to this murder, the candidates in the running for the presidency of the country shared their fear. “ How have we been able to allow the strengthening of the violence that keeps the country in terror and uncertainty? », protested the right-wing presidential candidate Daniel Noboa, in a press release.
Luisa Gonzálezfor her part affirmed that there exists “ a strategy of terror that we are trying to impose on citizens “.
Read alsoEcuador: the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio “is part of a continuum of violence”
Wave of deadly violence in Ecuadorian prisons
Guayas 1, where the deaths of the six inmates occurred, houses around 6,800 prisoners, and is one of five prisons in the gigantic Guayaquil penitentiary complex, where more than 430 inmates have died, sometimes dismembered or burned, since 2021 .
President Lasso declared a state of emergency in July in prisons, notably allowing the army to be deployed there. This measure, taken following a particularly appalling massacre which left dozens dead in Guayas 1, was extended until the end of October. He also recently signed an agreement allowing the intervention of American forces on Ecuadorian soil, and is therefore trying to increase the number of gestures to reassure the population.
Once considered an island of peace in Latin America, Ecuador has been hit in recent years by an unprecedented wave of violence linked to organized crime and drug trafficking. In this country of 16.9 million inhabitants, the homicide rate has notably exploded. It quadrupled between 2018 and 2022, reaching a record of 26 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. According to experts, this rate could rise to 40 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023.
(With AFP)