The President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, declared this Monday the first state of emergency of his term in office, which began on November 23rd. The reason for the decision is the deepening of the serious security crisis, which led to another wave of unrest in at least six prisons in the country over the weekend, with prison guards being held and mattresses being burned.
The state of emergency imposes a curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. for 60 days and allows the use of the armed forces to support the police to ensure public safety and order in prisons, as they have already done. on previous occasions. “What we are witnessing is an example that things need to change in the country and that the laws we have are not enough to live in peace, so there is no place for opportunistic politicians trying to take advantage to get credit in a security crisis.” “Prison,” Noboa said in a statement.
The Ecuadorian president has indicated that he has given both police commanders and military commanders “clear and precise provisions” to intervene in the control of prisons. “I appeal to citizens because this fight belongs to everyone,” he added.
The authorities reported the escape of José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias Fito, the country's most dangerous criminal. The Guayaquil penitentiary complex, which includes five prisons where more than 12,000 people are serving sentences, has woken up to a heavy police and military presence since Sunday.
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