Authorities have revealed that six of the individuals detained in connection with the murder of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio are citizens of Colombia and are members of gangs. This comes as a former vice president has called for action to stop the country’s spiralling violence.Villavicencio, a legislator and anti-corruption activist who frequently spoke out against the carnage brought on by drug trafficking in the nation, was fatally shot on Wednesday during a campaign rally in the nation’s capital Quito.Ten days prior to the first round of the presidential election, the 59-year-old was assassinated. As Ecuador’s violence has increased in recent years, Villavicencio’s campaign promises to crack down on crime and corruption.
After exchanging gunfire with security forces, the alleged shooter passed away in police custody, according to Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday.
Six other people were detained in relation to the murder. Juan Zapata, the interior minister for Ecuador, stated during a news conference on Thursday that there is early evidence the suspects are associated with organised crime gangs.
A rifle, a machine gun, four handguns, three grenades, two rifle magazines, four boxes of ammo, two motorcycles, and a stolen car suspected to have been used by the guys were discovered by officials during nocturnal raids, according to Zapata.
Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso tweeted that a mission from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation would soon be arriving in the nation after the attack prompted him to ask for assistance.
In addition, Lasso declared a 60-day state of emergency, an immediate nationwide mobilisation of the military, and three days of national mourning.
The assassination sparked a global outcry of disapproval, notably from the UN Human Rights chief, the United States, and the European Union.
In an exclusive interview with CNN on Thursday, former vice president of Ecuador and current presidential hopeful Otto Sonnenholzner claimed that the degree of violence in Ecuador is “something we have never seen before.”
It’s a novel idea. Maybe a year and a half or two years ago, it began. It’s an uncontrollable spiral of violence that needs immediate government response, but we aren’t seeing it, Sonnenholzner added.
The Andean country, which was previously relatively quiet, is currently affected by a deepening security crisis brought on by drug trafficking and a turf war between competing criminal organisations.
As criminal organisations compete for possession and distribution of narcotics, mainly cocaine, violence has been most pronounced along Ecuador’s Pacific coast.
Additionally, the nation no longer has authority over its overcrowded jails, which are frequently run by criminal gangs. Between these opposing groups, horrific prison riots have claimed the lives of hundreds of prisoners.
Sonnenholzner claimed that “the gangs are controlling crime in the streets from the jails.” “There is a lot of influence of drug dealers and traffickers in different institutions in the country,” he added, adding that corruption has a negative impact on the judiciary, some police, and even local administrations in Ecuador.
According to Sonnenholzner, Villavicencio had received threats from Ecuadorian organised criminal groups two weeks prior, but he had not been shielded.
According to interior minister Zapata, Villavicencio did have a security detail at the time of the incident that included five police officers, numerous patrol cars, and his own armoured vehicle, however he pointed out that the armoured vehicle was not deployed in Quito.
According to local media, Zapata said earlier this week that seven of Ecuador’s eight presidential contenders were being guarded by police.
Every day, gun control fails totally. The offenders’ firearms are comparatively recent. The six attackers who were caught yesterday had grenades and machine guns, and Ecuador has historically been a fairly peaceful nation,” Sonnenholzner added.
Sonnenholzner announced that he had stopped participating in public campaign events “for the next few days” and hired his own private protection.
The Electoral Council President Diana Atamaint announced on Thursday that the presidential election for Ecuador, set for August 20, will proceed as scheduled.
Sonnenholzner claimed that in order to give Villavicencio’s political party, Movimiento Construye, time to locate a replacement candidate, he has asked that the Sunday, television-only presidential discussion be postponed.
Villavicencio, he pointed out, had originally come to prominence as an investigative journalist who campaigned against power abuse and corruption.
Sonnenholzner declared that his “fight against corruption should be his legacy.”