Ecuador Roundup: Security crisis, $2.3 billion infrastructure projects, murdered beauty queen
Beauty queen shot dead
Ecuadorian influencer Landy Parraga Goyburo was shot and killed at a restaurant. The attackers found her location through her Instagram post in April. According to News 18, surveillance footage captured two unidentified men barging into the restaurant and firing at Landy. Investigators are still determining the motive behind the murder, with speculations ranging from ties to organised crime to an alleged affair with a late drug lord. No official statement on the motive has, however, been released yet.
Hammerhead shark nursery discovered
Scientists have discovered a possible hammerhead shark nursery in Ecuador's Galapagos archipelago. This finding could help with the conservation of the endangered species. As reported by India TV, the nursery is located in a remote area of the marine reserve and is an important step in understanding and protecting the declining hammerhead shark population. The country's national park authorities also add that the discovery is a "very rare" sighting.
Mexican embassy raid
On Wednesday, May 1, Ecuador justified its raid on the Mexican Embassy in Quito last month, asserting to judges at the United Nations’ principal court that the action was necessary to apprehend a "common criminal" – Ecuador’s former vice president – who had sought refuge there. According to AP, Ecuador's legal representatives made this argument during hearings in a case brought by Mexico before the International Court of Justice. Mexico accuses Quito of flagrantly violating international agreements by forcibly entering the embassy to detain former Vice President Jorge Glas. The raid on April 5, occurring shortly after Mexico granted asylum to Glas, escalated existing tensions between the two nations. These tensions had been simmering since Glas, a convicted criminal and fugitive, sought sanctuary at the embassy in December.
$2.3 billion for infrastructure projects
According to reports from World Highways, Ecuador has outlined seven transportation infrastructure projects totalling US$2.3 billion. The government of Ecuador is spearheading this development initiative and is actively seeking international investors to provide financial support. These projects aim to significantly enhance Ecuador's road network. Six of the projects focus on road improvements, including connections between Manta and Quevedo, Pifo and Y de Baeza, Montecristi and La Cadena, Loja and Catamayo, Bahia and Cojimies, as well as Ambato and Puyo. The seventh project involves upgrading the port of Esmeraldas. These endeavours will be executed under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, with bidding for two of the projects scheduled to commence in 2024.
Security crisis
Early in 2024, Guayaquil, Ecuador's economic hub, experienced a drastic upheaval. On January 9, shocking scenes emerged as a group of armed youths seized journalists during a live TV broadcast, quickly spreading across social media. Concurrently, France24 reports that multiple areas of the city came under attack as local gangs declared open hostility towards Ecuador's institutions and government. Responding swiftly, President Daniel Noboa, inaugurated in 2023, invoked a state of "internal armed conflict" and implemented a state of emergency. This granted the military extensive authority to intervene, particularly in prisons, which had become strongholds for the gangs. Since then, families of detainees have been left in distressing uncertainty, with no updates on their loved ones. The army has assumed control over Guayaquil's prisons, imposing visitation bans akin to those in place across various detention centres.
