Ecuador: armed men shoot at the house of the governor of Los Ríos in full state of emergency

A group of at least four armed men fired shots at the home of the governor (executive delegate) of the Ecuadorian province of Los Ríos, one of the two that since last week has been under a state of emergency and with a night curfew as measure against an increase in crime.

The Government of Los Ríos reported in a statement that the attack, recorded on surveillance cameras, occurred in the early hours of this Monday, after the governor, Connie Jimenezwill participate in a control operation to enforce the curfew.

Upon returning to your home, “Four citizens arrived on two motorcycles, who shot in the direction of the bedrooms,” The Government indicated in a statement, which anticipated that it will file a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office.

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“We condemn these acts of violence, which only hint that work is being done without truce in the fight against crime,” added.

For its part, the Ministry of the Interior rejected the fact in a statement, assuring that the intention of the perpetrators of the shots was to “attack the integrity of the governor and her family.”

The Executive reiterated its frontal fight against crime and delinquency and stressed the firmness of the control operations carried out by the public force and local authorities.

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The province of Los Ríos, together with that of Manabí and the municipality of Durán, located in the metropolitan area of ​​Guayaquil, have been under a state of emergency for 60 days since last Monday to reduce crime rates in those jurisdictions.

The state of emergency was declared after the mayor of Manta, Agustín Intriago, one of the most popular local authorities in the country, was assassinated, while previously, in the northern province of Esmeraldas, a candidate for assembly was also assassinated.

The measure contemplates the suspension of fundamental rights such as the inviolability of the home and the right of assembly, as well as the right to free movement from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.

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During the last two years, these temporary states of exception decreed by the Government have been recurrent to deal with peaks of violence and crime in different provinces.

This phenomenon has become the main concern of public opinion in the country, as assassinations at the hands of hitmen, attacks against law enforcement, kidnappings and massacres in prisons and on the streets at the hands of gangs have become a common trend. armed.

Ecuador closed 2022 with the highest rate of violent deaths in its history, registering 25.32 per 100,000 inhabitants, catapulted by street crime and organized crime, largely linked to drug trafficking, which has turned Ecuadorian ports into large springboards for shipping cocaine to Europe and North America.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.