Government orders immediate anti-terrorist actions

Before the wave of violence and insecurity that affects Ecuador Two years ago, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso ordered the armed forces and police to immediately carry out anti-terrorist actions throughout the national territory and with all the means at their disposal against criminal organizations that the government blames for the situation.

The new instruction is contained in an executive decree signed by the president, in which it also orders the Ministry of Finance to allocate the economic resources required by both institutions. However, neither the actions to be taken nor the amount of funds available are specified.

Last week, Ecuadorian government declared criminal groups terrorists linked to national and international drug trafficking which, according to the official explanation, in recent years have generated a growingwave of violence across the country characterized by attacks with explosive devices, kidnappings, extortion and murders.

The political analyst and professor at the Fernando Borja Central University, in statements to AP, acknowledged that the State “has been incapable of enforcing its legal order” and has been weakening. He said that the situation is very serious in Ecuador because crime is taking over the country.

Before the issuance of a new decree related to security, he questioned its usefulness: “I do not understand what this decree can be used for.” He argued that in some areas of the country that are in the hands of criminal mafias, the rule of law no longer applies, “so, imagine a decree… What use can it be?”

In an attempt to stop the wave of crime and reduce the growing criminal activity, Lasso had ordered that the Armed Forces carry out preventive patrols in the streets, especially in sectors of great conflict and on highways, although they did not have the authorization to join a open fight against the mafias. The military had already been mobilized for internal security, taking refuge in more than a dozen states of emergency in the last two years.

The main function of the military was to protect the borders and deal with external threats.

The decree also asks the Service for Attention to Persons Deprived of Liberty, in charge of the penitentiary system, to take the necessary provisions to receive uniformed officers who are subjected to criminal justice for their actions within the framework of the fight against terrorism.

The analyst and professor of the Andean University, Gustavo Isch, commented that this decision reveals the legal insecurity and the null conditions of legal defense in which the uniformed men who fight organized crime find themselves and who are often subjected to justice and must defend themselves. at their own expense, with the risk of losing their career as well.

Asked about the risk of impunity, he assured that “this possibility exists, but I hope that the forces of order do what they have to do within the framework of human rights”, but they must act harshly against well-armed criminals and with security technology. Last generation.

Although the authorities did not identify the criminal gangs identified as terrorists, the ones with the greatest illegal activity are: Choneros, Fatales, Gángsters, Lobos, R7, Lagartos, Tiguerones and Chone Killers. According to what was reported by the authorities, they control large sectors of the provinces, especially the Ecuadorian coast, through which the narcotics pass on their way to the United States and Europe.

Last year Ecuador seized 210 tons of drugs, mostly cocaine, and so far this year, the amount stands at 60 tons, according to the authority. Police reports indicating that a large quantity of narcotics from Ecuadorian ports were seized in European ports are also frequent.

The country also registers daily murders linked to organized crime, attacks with explosive material against businesses, assaults, kidnappings and intimidation by alleged criminals linked to organized crime gangs.

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