Quito, January 24 (EFE). – The President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, has a free hand to ratify two defense treaties with the United States after the Constitutional Court ruled this Wednesday that they do not require prior approval from the National Assembly.
The two treaties signed under the government of Guillermo Lasso (2021-2023) relate to the status of armed forces and operations against illegal transnational maritime activities.
At a meeting with journalists in Quito, Chancellor Gabriela Sommerfeld described the Constitutional Court's decision as “very good news” because it shortens the time for its implementation.
Following the Constitutional Court's decision, it is up to the Ecuadorian executive to move forward with the process and inform the United States that the internal process in these trials has been overcome.
The Constitutional Court's response came at a crucial time in security issues in Ecuador, which is in the midst of an “internal armed conflict” that Noboa has declared against organized crime groups that he classifies as “terrorists.”
The said “internal armed conflict” was declared on January 9 by the President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, amid a wave of attacks and violent actions attributed to organized crime, which included the kidnapping and murder of police officers, explosion warnings and arson of vehicles and simultaneous riots in prisons with hostage-taking, now released.
During this unrest, nearly 90 prisoners escaped, including Fabricio Colón Pico, considered one of the leaders of the Los Lobos gang and accused of allegedly plotting an attack on Attorney General Diana Salazar.
This crisis began with the escape from prison of Adolfo Macías “Fito”, the leader of the criminal gang “Los Choneros”, before he was transferred and isolated in a maximum security prison. EFE
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