Guillermo Lasso decrees a state of exception throughout Ecuador due to "serious internal commotion"

Lasso decrees the state of exception in Ecuador 2:11

(CNN Spanish) -

During a message to the nation on Monday night, the president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, announced his decision to decree a state of exception due to "serious internal commotion" throughout the national territory to face the escalation of violence and murders in the streets that have generated fear and anxiety in the population.

He described drug trafficking as the "main enemy" of Ecuador and ordered the mobilization of the Armed Forces in the provinces of Guayas, Pichincha, El Oro, Santa Elena, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo, Manabí, Esmeraldas and Sucumbíos, for presenting the most important indicators. high levels of criminal activity.

In the rest of the Ecuadorian provinces, the Police must coordinate surveillance and crime prevention actions, as detailed in the decree.

The president said that the presence of the Armed Forces and the Police "will be strongly felt in the streets" through patrols, inspections, drug requisitions and other actions.

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"In recent years, Ecuador has gone from being a drug trafficking country to one that also consumes drugs. This is reflected in the number of crimes that today are directly or indirectly related to the sale of narcotics," said Lasso.

The president said that when drug trafficking grows, killings, homicides, robberies of homes, vehicles, goods and people increase.

He indicated that more than 70% of the violent deaths that occur today in the province of Guayas "are in some way related to drug trafficking."

Lasso offered full support for the actions undertaken by members of the Police and the Armed Forces in the fight against crime and announced the creation of a legal defense unit for the public force to be dedicated to the protection of its members.

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"Act with the courage that characterizes you. This government will pardon all those who have been unjustly convicted of having done their job. Our judges must guarantee peace and order, not impunity and crime. The law must intimidate the offender. but not to the police, "said the head of state.

Finally, Lasso mourned the death of an 11-year-old boy this Sunday during a bullet crossing during an assault on an ice cream parlor in Guayaquil.

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"We know that nothing can repair this terrible loss, but we must all gather strength to fight with greater determination, to finally end the violence that took away Sebastián Xavier and many Ecuadorians."

The president said that at this time it is up to his government "to save the country from the clutches of crime."

Lasso called on all social and political sectors to work together for the security of the country regardless of their differences.

Guillermo Lasso