Ecuador: how this 'island of peace' in Latin America has become a hotbed of violence run by criminal

Ecuador: how this ‘island of peace’ in Latin America has become a hotbed of violence run by criminal gangs and drug cartels

Published: August 16, 2023 3.29am EDT

After the assassination of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in Quito on August 9, former president Rafael Correa posted a message on his social media feed: “Ecuador has become a failed state.” It was a stark message as the country prepares to go to the polls on Sunday August 20.

Villavicencio’s shooting followed the murder on July 23 of Agustín Intriago, the mayor of the port city of Manta, and that of Rider Sánchez, who was running for a seat in the national assembly when he was shot dead on July 17 while campaigning in the northern coastal province of Esmeraldas.

Sunday’s parliamentary and presidential election are being held as a result of outgoing president Guillermo Lasso dissolving parliament in May. Lasso faced impeachment by opposition parties over allegations of connections to corrupt government contracts, something he and his supporters vehemently deny. Villavicencio campaigned on a pro-security and anti-corruption platform and, while not considered a frontrunner, his assassination deeply shocked the nation.

Island of peace?
Sitting between Colombia to the north and Peru to the south, two of the world’s largest producers of cocaine, Ecuador was until recently known as an “island of peace” in this war-torn region.



Ecuador sits between Colombia and Peru, two of the world’s biggest producers of cocaine. Libin Jose/Shutterstock

This had a great deal to do with the success of Correa’s policy while president from 2007-2017 of effectively legalising gangs as “cultural associations” or urban youth groups. This allowed them to apply for government funding and grants in return for a pledge to end violence.

Correa’s policy saw the country’s homicide rate fall sharply. In the past five years, however, the murder rate has begun to increase sharply again, making Ecuador one of the region’s most violent countries.

More:
https://theconversation.com/ecuador-how-this-island-of-peace-in-latin-america-has-become-a-hotbed-of-violence-run-by-criminal-gangs-and-drug-cartels-211458