QUITO, July 29 (NNN-XINHUA) — Ecuador is facing “a critical moment” due to criminal organizations that have recently unleashed more violence in the streets and prisons, President Guillermo Lasso said.
“Organized crime has attacked the rule of law, and through their actions, we have lost valuable lives,” Lasso said during a ceremony here to supply the police with 18 million items of ammunition.
“This government does not and will not negotiate with criminals. What we are doing here is putting the presence of the government in the streets and also in the prisons with a firm hand,” he added.
Earlier this week, Lasso declared a 60-day state of emergency at prisons nationwide to ensure order following a deadly riot that killed scores of inmates and another incident in which prisoners briefly took more than a hundred guards hostage.
The surge in violence also saw the mayor of a coastal town assassinated over the weekend.
Meanwhile, two police officers were killed Friday in an armed attack perpetrated by criminals in the Ecuadorian coastal province of Guayas, one of the most violent in the country, police said.
The victims were a police major, who served as district police chief in Samborondon canton, and a corporal, who had 13 years of service, said the police.
“Specialized agents are working to clarify the circumstances and capture the perpetrators of these murders,” tweeted the police, while condemning the attack and expressing condolences to the families of the victims.
According to the preliminary police report, three individuals on a motorcycle shot at the uniformed officers and stole their service weapons.
This week the government decreed a state of emergency in three areas of the country due to increased violence, prison riots and dozens of bomb attacks, with over 20 police officers killed between 2022 and so far in 2023. — NNN-XINHUA