The Ecuadorian government announced last October that it needed around $5 billion to implement a “comprehensive security strategy” amid escalating violence in the country.
To obtain funding, Ordóñez and President Guillermo Lasso announced they would seek external support from European nations and the United States.
Last week, Lasso traveled to Washington to raise the issue with his colleague Joe Biden, who signed legislation establishing a strategic union with Ecuador but did not specify how much money he will allocate to fighting organized crime in the South American nation.
As Ordóñez commented in an interview with broadcaster Ecuavisa this Wednesday, Biden Lasso literally said that the technical teams will review the operational details of how the United States would work with Ecuador.
Regarding the visit to North American territory, the head of the Ecuadorian Executive said he had spoken to his counterpart about the need to split the bill as they are also working to avoid traffic to the United States.
This Andean nation is experiencing an escalation of insecurity that has caused premeditated deaths to rise to more than 20 homicides per 100,000 people this year.
According to the government, this situation stems from disputes between criminal gangs over traffic control, an issue for which they are calling for international support.
In this sense, Lasso assured that he already has the support of the United States and also of Colombia, where a meeting of senior military commanders is taking place today to define a security plan on the shared border.
For the Ecuadorian secretary of state for public safety, the killing wave of the last few months is the result of the state’s “effective action” with the constant seizures of drugs, of which almost 200 tons would be seized this year.
This opinion contrasts with that of experts and citizens, who are calling for the government to implement comprehensive public measures to curb insecurity.
rgh/avr