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Security & Strategic Review - December 2022
ECUADOR: Criminal groups flex their muscles against gov’t
There is now no doubt that public security in Ecuador is on a rapid downwards spiral. Surging violence by drug trafficking organisations (DTOs) is regularly throwing coastal provinces into chaos in the previously tranquil Andean nation. On 1 November, the provinces of Guayas and Esmeraldas were hit with a wave of violence that rivalled the excesses of the Mexican DTOs. In seemingly coordinated attacks on the security forces, nine car bombs were detonated, police officers gunned down, and prison guards taken hostage, while decapitated bodies were left swinging from bridges. In response, President Guillermo Lasso declared a 45-day state of exception in the two provinces, imposing a strict 9pm curfew. Days later, Lasso extended the emergency measures to Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas province following the detonation of another car bomb.
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