Ecuador Declares State of Emergency and Seeks FBI Assistance in Investigation of Assassinated Presidential Candidate

Ecuador has declared a state of emergency and sought assistance from the FBI in the investigation of the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The killing has underscored the country’s descent into a violent hub of drug trafficking and organized crime. Police have arrested six Colombians in connection with Villavicencio’s murder, and authorities have identified them as members of organized crime groups. The country’s murder rate has been on the rise, with drug gangs engaged in bloody turf wars. The assassination of Villavicencio has shocked Ecuadorians, who see it as an attack on their hope for honesty and an end to corruption in the country. President Guillermo Lasso has declared a two-month state of emergency and requested assistance from the FBI in the investigation. Villavicencio, known for his anti-corruption crusades and exposing a vast graft network involving former President Rafael Correa, had received threats from one of the country’s most powerful drug gangs. The attack occurred just a week before the snap election on August 20, which Lasso called after dissolving the opposition-dominated Congress to avoid impeachment proceedings. Ecuador’s growing influence in the drug trade, along with its location between major cocaine producers Colombia and Peru, has made it a central hub for drug trafficking. The country’s murder rate has nearly doubled in 2022 compared to the previous year, highlighting the challenges faced by Ecuador amid the violence. Dutch authorities recently seized over eight tonnes of cocaine from Ecuador in their largest drug seizure to date.