SÃO PAULO, Brazil – One week after a drug lord escaped from prison and detonated an unprecedented crisis of violence in Ecuador, local Catholics are trying to address the atmosphere of insecurity that lingers over the South American country, with businesses closed and a nationwide curfew.
Catholics in the Latin Anerican nation, who make up an estimated 77 per cent of the population, have been praying and asking for peace, while working to mitigate some of the damages caused by the chaotic circumstances.
After the leader of the gang Los Choneros, Adolfo Macias—known as “Fito”—escaped from prison, a wave of violence exploded in Ecuador. Seven penitentiaries were taken over by inmates, who took 178 prison staff as hostages till they were released between January 13-14.
Terrorist explosions have been reported in several cities, along with kidnappings. At least ten people died as a consequence of such attacks. On 9 Jan., armed men got into a TV station and held several journalists hostage for two hours—with the entire incident broadcast.
President Daniel Noboa decreed a state of emergency and deployed troops and police to all parts of the country. More than 1,300 suspects have been arrested, including 143 people accused of perpetrating acts of terrorism.
The Church has been active on many fronts since the crisis erupted. All over the country, Catholic leaders along with human rights organisations have been negotiating the release of hostages in the prisons.
On 9 Jan., Ecuador’s Catholic Bishops’ Conference released a statement in which it states: “Every activity against the law, in any stance of society and of the State, must be considered an act of treason against the nation, against the most sacred values of our Ecuadorian identity, and against God, who will be the Judge of our lives.”
Archbishop Luis Gerardo Cabrera of Guayaquil toldCrux that Catholics all over the Andean country have been calling for prayers asking “for wisdom in order to keep hope and stay strong during the current hardships”. While God’s help is determinant, he said, “it’s up to us to deal with those problems”.
Cabrera said that one of the main causes of violence in Ecuador is “the poverty which impacts hundreds of thousands of people”.
“Poverty doesn’t justify violent acts. But poor young people are an easy target for the armed groups that hire them as hitmen,” Cabrera highlighted. “They can’t find stable jobs and end up involved in those actions.”
According to Father Luis Enríquez Sigcha, who worked for years in poor communities of Guayaquil, over the past few years poverty has been intensified by former President Guillermo Lasso’s policies.
“He cut the social aid from the poor and failed to find ways to help them,” he said. “The COVID-19 pandemic further worsened their situation.”
As a result, big drug cartels could increase recruitment among the poor and extend their control over vast territories, Enríquez said, adding: “Corruption in the state contributed to give them more and more power.”
Cabrera also blamed corruption for the growing strength of the criminal gangs inside and outside the prisons. The government says it has been monitoring 22 such groups.
“Violence in prisons and on the streets has been increasing year by year. That has been the last straw,” the archbishop said.
Photo: Ecuadorians walk by the the church and convent of San Francisco at San Francisco square in Quito, 15 January 2024. A few days before, the government declared a state of emergency and curfew following the escape from prison of one of the country’s most powerful narcotics gang bosses. (Photo by RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP via Getty Images.)
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