Ecuadorian Prosecutor Injured in Attack on Coastal Zone
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Police at the scene of the attack against the Los Rios prosecutor, Aug. 22, 2024. Photo: X/ @PanAmPost_es
August 22, 2024 Hour: 2:42 pm
The rise of organized crime in Ecuador has made it the most violent South American territory in 2023.
On Thursday, the Attorney General’s Office of Ecuador confirmed that a prosecutor from the province of Los Rios was injured in an armed attack.
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Authorities are conducting initial investigations to determine responsibility for an attack against a prosecutor from the Quevedo canton that occurred this morning.
“The official has injuries that are being treated and is in stable condition,” the Attorney General’s Office said via social media. The incident occurred in the San Camilo parish when the official was returning from dropping his daughter off at school.
The prosecutor’s vehicle was intercepted by armed men in another car, who allegedly attempted to kidnap him and shot him in the leg and shoulder.
The attack comes at a time when Ecuador is facing a security crisis that the government attributes mainly to criminal groups possibly linked to drug trafficking and illegal mining. The rise of organized crime in Ecuador has made it the most violent South American territory in 2023, with a homicide rate of 47.2 per 100,000 inhabitants.
In response to the escalating security crisis, right-wing President Daniel Noboa elevated the fight against organized crime to the level of an “Internal Armed Conflict,” categorizing criminal gangs as “terrorists” and “non-state belligerent actors.”
At the beginning of 2024, Noboa declared a state of emergency and militarized the prisons, which are considered the epicenter of armed violence in the country. However, so far this year, the rate of violent deaths has not decreased, and violent crimes such as kidnappings and extortion remain prevalent.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE