Brigitte Garcia, an Ecuadorian mayor was discovered shot dead on Sunday, according to police reports, as the country enters its third month of a state of emergency declared by the government to tackle escalating gang violence.
The body of Brigitte Garcia, aged 27, the mayor of coastal San Vicente, was found alongside the municipality’s communications director, Jairo Loor.
In the early hours of the morning, authorities found two individuals inside a vehicle, both deceased with gunshot wounds, as reported by the Ecuadorian national police on X, previously known as Twitter.
Further investigations revealed that the gunshots were fired from inside the vehicle, not from external sources. Investigators are currently examining the route taken by the rented car.
President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in January and declared the country in a “state of war” against gangs following a surge in violence after the escape of “Los Choneros” leader Adolfo “Fito” Macias from prison.
Since then, the military has been deployed in the streets and assumed control of the country’s prisons, where numerous gang-related riots in recent years have resulted in approximately 460 fatalities.
The government asserts that its “Phoenix Plan” has been effective in reducing the country’s escalating violence, citing statistics that indicate security forces have conducted around 165,000 operations, made over 12,000 arrests, eliminated 15 individuals considered “terrorists,” and seized approximately 65 tons of drugs since January.
However, several violent incidents were reported over the weekend, including an ambush on an army patrol in Sucumbios, a province bordering Colombia, resulting in the death of one soldier and injuries to three others.
In the Andean city of Latacunga, a bomb threat led to the evacuation of a stadium hosting a professional soccer championship game. After a thorough inspection aided by a trained dog, authorities discovered a suitcase in the stadium’s parking lot containing five explosive devices, which were safely detonated, according to police reports.
Brigitte Garcia
Once renowned as a haven of tranquility in Latin America, Ecuador has faced a crisis in recent years due to the expansion of transnational cartels that utilize its ports to traffic drugs to the United States and Europe, Brigitte Garcia.
Source: guardian.ngÂ
