Shrimp drivers, sports leaders and hoteliers are joining forces these days in the port city of Guayaquil so that members of the Armed Forces and the National Police of Ecuador feel accompanied for the duration of the "war" declared by the government against criminal gangs, which it has classified as "terrorist groups".
According to official sources, 22,400 soldiers are currently carrying out operations to neutralize "terrorists" in 20 sectors of a dozen provinces in Ecuador, and the number of police rises to 56,000.
For this reason, the Ecuadorian Business Committee (CEE), made up of 138 unions in the country, created 'You protect us, we take care of you', a campaign with which it invites companies and citizens to donate to "the everyday heroes who are dedicated to protecting and serving society, and who today are patrolling the streets so that we are safe".
Cans, vitamins, blankets, flashlights, cookies, hydrating drinks, antibacterial gel, masks, wet cloths, sunscreen, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste are the items that are collected not only in Guayaquil but also in other cities such as Quito, Samborondón, Riobamba, Ambato, Cuenca and Manta.
"What we want is for the aid to reach the collection centers to be distributed properly," said Miguel Gonzalez, president of the Committee and of the Guayaquil Chamber of Commerce.
A group of soldiers patrol a subway station in Quito on Monday. Photo: AFP
Kits for Conflict Zones
On Monday afternoon, the Las Cámaras Building became the collection center for thousands of boxes that will be distributed to police and military officers serving in the coastal provinces of Guayas (whose capital is Guayaquil), Manabí, El Oro and Esmeraldas.
They are the site of much of the violence generated by the 22 criminal gangs declared "terrorist" by the government presided over by Daniel Noboa, who took office just two months ago.
"We believe it's time to join forces. This is a fight in which the country has to move forward because we cannot allow the soldiers and police who are fighting crime to run out of supplies," Yahira Piedrahita, executive director of the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA), told EFE.
Piedrahita, in charge of coordinating the 'Joining Forces' campaign, hopes to collect at least 2,000 aid kits that will be delivered this week "to the troops who have left their barracks and cannot return for now because they are in camps or in areas where it is not easy to access food or hygiene supplies."
Each box contains alcohol, noodles, hand soap, oil, toothpaste, rice, a blanket, water, toilet paper, coffee, toothbrush, and sugar.
The reaction was swift after the outbreak of the crisis on January 9 that left at least eight dead and 35 hostages taken at a local television station in Guayaquil alone.
Tanks and soldiers in front of a prison in Machala, Ecuador. The prison break of two drug trafficking leaders has sparked a bloody crisis in Ecuador. Photo: AFP
On previous occasions they had responded in a similar way, such as in the 2016 earthquake, when tents, mattresses, water and food were gathered for the victims; and during the pandemic, when they donated masks and disinfection equipment for the Police and supported vaccination.
Applause and free burgers
"For those on the outside taking care of us and our families, the doors will be open to you when you feel hungry, thirsty, or need to rest. This place is waiting for you," a hamburger chain said on social media.
Likewise, the Favorite Corporation, one of the largest business conglomerates in the country, pledged to deliver "20,000 rations of food and water to our brave uniformed men" and set up a collection point for donations.
The expressions of solidarity and gratitude have even been joined by shoppers who have gradually begun to return to shopping malls and who receive with applause the agents who enter to carry out security checks.
In the same way, the sports leaders of the Ecuadorian Football League and clubs such as Barcelona and Emelec, both from Guayaquil, distributed food to the security forces as a sign that the "internal armed conflict" touches all sectors and that it is the commitment of the entire society to contribute to the country's rediscovery of peace.
Source: EFE
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