Guterres deplores violence, extends solidarity with the people of Ecuador

Anjali Sharma

GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 11th Jan. UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday has strongly condemned the recent wave of criminal violence in Ecuador, according to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric in New York

According to various news media reports, Ecuador has been hit by deadly gang attacks after the prison escape of a prominent gang leader this past weekend.

Several police officers also have been abducted, news reported.

President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador declared a 60-day state of emergency on Monday because of the crisis.

UN reported that in a sign of how normal life has been disrupted by the proliferation of gangs and drugs trafficking-related violence in recent months, a television station in the coastal city of Guayaquil was overrun on Tuesday and briefly seized by gang members while cameras rolled.

The military has indicated that it will meet force with force saying that every “terrorist group” in now a target with the future of the country now at stake, according to news reports.

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a regular briefing in New York that the Secretary-General spoke by phone with Ecuador’s Permanent Representative to the UN that morning.

Mr. Guterres “is alarmed by the deteriorating situation in the country, as well as its disruptive impact on the lives of Ecuadorians,” he said.

“The Secretary-General strongly condemns these criminal acts of violence that we’ve seen and he sends a message of solidarity to the Ecuadorian people,” he added.