In the midst of a fatal rise in crime and violence that has gripped the South American nation, Fernando Villavicencio, a contender in the 2017 presidential election in Ecuador, was killed at a campaign event in the capital on Wednesday.
The murder would not go unpunished, Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso warned, adding that “organised crime has come a long way, but the full weight of the law will fall on them.” Three days of national mourning were also declared, along with a 60-day state of emergency and an urgent military mobilisation nationwide.
Ten days before the first round of the presidential election was scheduled to take place on August 20, Villavicencio was shot and assassinated as he was leaving a campaign gathering at a school north of the capital Quito.
He was a member of the National Assembly and had been outspoken about the violence brought on by drug trafficking and corruption in the nation, telling CNN En Espaol Conclusiones in May that Ecuador had turned into a “narco state” and offering to lead an effort to combat the “political mafia.”
The Attorney General’s Office of Ecuador announced the death of the alleged shooter in custody after exchanging gunfire with security personnel on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The attack, which left nine people injured, including a candidate for the National Assembly and two police officers, has been the subject of an investigation.
The Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office later said that six persons had been detained during raids in the Quito neighbourhoods of Conocoto and San Bartolo, and that Villavicencio’s body had been taken to a mortuary for an autopsy.
Social internet videos purport to capture the moment Villavicencio was fatally shot.
The video appears to show Villavicencio leaving the campaign event and heading towards a car while being surrounded by numerous law enforcement personnel and onlookers. At least 12 gunshots can be heard as he climbs into the rear seat of the car. Villavicencio’s security detail is among the numerous people spotted seeking refuge from the gunfire as a police officer swiftly slams the door behind him.
Sister Patricia Villavicencio, who was present at the gathering, claimed to have been standing next to the murdered lawmaker when he was assassinated.
She informed reporters outside the school that she held the Interior Ministry and the national government accountable for her brother’s passing.
She questioned, “Where is the security?”
Seven of the eight candidates, including Villavicencio, were reportedly under police protection, according to Ecuador’s interior minister Juan Zapata earlier this week, local media reported Tuesday.
The opposition-led congress was dissolved in May by President Lasso, who declared himself “outraged and shocked” by Villavicencio’s murder. This opened the door for early elections.
Due to allegations of embezzlement made by opposition lawmakers before he assumed government, which Lasso denies, he was up for impeachment. His resignation has been demanded more frequently recently as the nation struggled with a high cost of living and a rise in violent crime.
The murder occurs as Ecuador battles a deteriorating security situation brought on by drug trafficking and a turf war between competing criminal organisations.
The Andean nation, formerly referred to as the “isla de paz” or “island of peace,” has recently recorded some of the highest homicide rates in the region.
Despite not having a history of producing cocaine or coca, its main constituent, Ecuador is sandwiched between Peru and Colombia, the two countries with the highest rates of drugs production worldwide.
Security analysts claim that Ecuador has grown to play a crucial role in the lucrative routes used to transport cocaine from South America to North America and Europe. The country’s Pacific coast has seen the most violence as criminal organisations compete for control of the drug trade.
Additionally, the nation no longer has authority over its overcrowded jails, which are frequently run by criminal gangs. According to Ecuadorian officials, security services have had difficulty dealing with gangs within jails where convicts frequently seize control of prison facilities and manage criminal networks from solitary confinement. Brutal prison riots between opposing gangs have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of prisoners.
Agustin Intriago, the mayor of the coastal city of Manta, was shot and killed in July, along with Ariana Chancay, a young athlete he was chatting with.
All of the contenders for president of Ecuador have vowed to stop the violence from getting worse.
However, as security and the economy worsen, more Ecuadorians are leaving the country. According to data, hundreds have travelled through the perilous Darien Gap this year in an attempt to reach the United States.
Michael J. Fitzpatrick, the US ambassador to Ecuador, issued a statement on X saying he is “deeply shocked” by the murder and referring to Villavicencio as a “fighter against the corrupt and narco-criminals who have done so much damage to Ecuador.” He declared that the US “strongly condemns” the attack and extended an offer of US government support for the inquiry.