Ecuador: Violent Deaths Persist
Ecuadorian Police during mobilization, Sept 2024 Photo: @ElNuevoHerald
September 30, 2024 Hour: 3:11 pm
This Sunday night seven people lost their lives during an armed attack in the city of Samborondón, in the coastal province of Guayas, while they were gambling at a cockfight.
On Monday, official sources stated that the persistence of violent deaths in Ecuador worries citizens here amid the energy crisis that has caused widespread blackouts in the Andean country.
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The majority of Ecuadorians regret that night-time is when most of these types of criminal acts take place.
Incidentally, this Sunday night seven people lost their lives during an armed attack in the city of Samborondón, in the coastal province of Guayas, while they were gambling at a cockfight.
According to police information, several armed men arrived on motorbikes and started shooting, while some customers were drinking and betting on the fights.
It is expected that in the next few hours the authorities will make a statement on this event that caused panic in this rural sector of Guayas.
Data from the Interior Ministry, quoted by local media, detailed that August has been the most violent month so far this year in this South American nation, with 603 violent deaths.
Crime increased this year in eight provinces of Ecuador, although at the national level the number of violent deaths fell by around 19 percent, according to official figures.
The Ministry of the Interior published that between January and July there were 3,631 homicides nationwide, which represents a decrease in this crime compared to 2023, the most violent year in Ecuador’s history, which saw 4,464 murders in the same period.
However, in eight territories, insecurity has increased in recent months compared to the previous year, according to a report by the digital portal Primicias.
These provinces are Orellana, Tungurahua, Azuay, Cañar, Napo, Bolívar and Sucumbíos, although numerically the most violent deaths were reported in Guayas, Los Ríos and Manabí.
In Ecuador, the declaration of internal armed conflict has been in force since last January, a provision with which President Daniel Noboa seeks to curb insecurity and organised crime.
However, violence continues in the streets of the Andean country despite the presence of the military and the continuous states of emergency.
Autor: OSG
Fuente: The Independent-The Star