QUITO.- He President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboadenounced this Friday that last January a coup attempt was recorded during the violent onslaught of drug trafficking, during which there were around twenty deaths and led to the declaration of a state of internal armed conflict to neutralize “terrorist” groups.
“Today, after various information and having dematerialized certain devices, we see that there was even an attempted coup d’état,” said the president, when presenting a management report to Congress as established by the Constitution.
“As Ecuadorians we experienced the extent of the horror that terrorism had in our country,” added Noboa, who six months after assuming power enjoys high popularity (60%) thanks to his fight against crime.
The escape of a criminal leader from a prison unleashed a strong attack in January by gangs linked to the Albanian mafia and drug cartels. Mexico y Colombia with violent prisoner riots, attacks against the press, car bomb explosions, the temporary retention of some 200 prison guards and police, also leaving around twenty dead.
At that time, Noboa decreed a state of emergency to mobilize the military, which lasted the 90 days allowed by law. Also, he declared the country in internal armed conflict, which according to the Constitutional Court, can extend indefinitely.
Under that declaration, he ordered the Armed Forces to neutralize around twenty criminal organizations, which he called “terrorists” and “belligerents”, and which are accused of infiltrating all state spheres such as justice.
The head of state pointed out that the mafias “have accomplices and allies at all levels of the country (…) they are everywhere.”
“Today with a firm step, the State is being cleaned, with a firm step the leaders are falling, with a firm step the narco-terrorist groups are disintegrating, with a firm step they (the criminals) are the ones who are afraid to leave and not us anymore” to the streets, said Noboa, elected in early elections for a period of 18 months.
Source: With information from AFP
