Due to insecurity, Guillermo Lasso militarizes parts of Ecuador and authorizes the transport of weapons

The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, decreed a state of emergency starting this Sunday in the areas afflicted by drug trafficking and crime and the carrying of weapons for civilian use is authorised and the use of pepper spray “for self-defense”.

Conservative Lasso said on Saturday evening that the state of emergency, which allows the militarization of the streets and the suspension of constitutional guarantees, will govern Guayaquil and other parts of the province of Guayasas well as in two other coastal provinces.

The state of emergency came into force on Sunday following “serious internal unrest”, provided for by the Lasso decree for two months and will include a curfew between 1 and 5.

“We have declared a state of emergency in zone 8, which includes Guayaquil, Durán and Samborondón, and in the provinces of Santa Elena and Los Ríos,” the president said in a national chain message.

affected areas

The president, who declared a state of emergency for Guayaquil and other areas three times last year to deal with high crime rates, established that the measure will have a duration of 60 days and that it will also suspend rights such as being able to meet.

Since March and for 60 days, the coastal province of Esmeraldas, in northwestern Ecuador and on the border with Colombia, has also been in emergency.

“We have a common enemy: delinquency, drug trafficking and organized crime“said Lasso, a former right-wing banker in power since May 2021.

Located between Colombia and Peru, the world’s top cocaine producers, Ecuador seized a record annual 210 tons of the drug in 2021, most of it cocaine and destined for European ports.

The seizures in 2022 exceeded 200 tons of drugs in the midst of clashes between drug trafficking gangs, who are fighting with blood and fire in the streets and prisons for drug trafficking routes.

Along with the kidnappings, violent deaths have increased. The homicide rate nearly doubled between 2021 and 2022, rising from 14 to 25 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the authorities.

Guayaquil, commercial center of the country and Where do most drugs come from?, is among the places with the most crime. In Zone 8, 434 violent deaths were reported between January and mid-March, compared to a total of 1,151 homicides nationwide.

use of weapons

To address the insecurity, Lasso also announced on Saturday that it had amended a decree to authorize “the possession and carrying of weapons for civilian use for personal defence“, as well as the use of pepper spray.

He also stressed that the manufacture, registration and possession of homemade weapons are prohibited, AFP news agency reported.

“I feel the concern for insecurity like you. For the government of Ecuador, its peace and tranquility are vital,” said the president, who is promoting a so-called “crusade for your safety” which combines actions between the military and police forces.

He indicated that the authorities have identified to 15 leaders of organized crime listed as “high value targets”, of which six have already been captured.

“We will fight criminals with all the rigor of the law because our priority is their tranquility”, concluded Lasso, who is facing an impeachment process promoted by the opposition National Assembly for alleged embezzlement.

The 67-year-old president believes that the process has been raised by a sector of the legislature and authorized by the Constitutional Court “It does not make sense”.

This is the second time that Congress – where the opposition is in a majority but scattered – has sought to remove Lasso from office.

Last June, in the midst of indigenous protests over the high cost of living, a group of deputies presented a motion to dismiss, but did not get the necessary 92 votes -out of 137 members of the assembly-, according to the constitution.