Ecuadorian bishops appeal for unity amid gang violence upsurge

By Lisa Zengarini

The Ecuadorean bishops have launched an urgent appeal for unity, peace, and fraternity, as the Latin American nation faces an unprecedented upsurge of gang violence.

Ecuador has plunged into chaos this week, with the country's most-wanted prisoner escaping from jail, uprisings breaking out in several prisons, and inmates kidnapping and threatening guards.

On Sunday, Adolfo Macias, leader of the Los Choneros narco-criminal gang, disappeared from a prison in Guayaquil, where he was serving a 34-year sentence.

The jailbreak was followed by violent incidents in several overcrowded prisons, where clashes between rival gangs are frequent and have killed more than 400 prisoners since 2021.

Tensions reached a new high on Tuesday when masked gunmen broke into a live television studio in Guayaquil, taking anchors and staff hostage and exchanging gunfire with the police.

On the same day, at least ten people were killed in the city, including two policemen. Explosions, burning vehicles, looting, gunfire, and assaults on hospitals were also reported in other cities, including the capital Quito, while authorities announced that a second major gang leader and other inmates had escaped from another prison.

State of emergency

Following these developments, newly elected President Daniel Noboa, who has prioritized restoring security and freeing the country from narco gang violence, declared an internal armed conflict on Tuesday and ordered the armed forces to “neutralize” two dozen gangs, describing them as “terrorist organizations.”

On the previous day, he had declared a 60-day state of emergency, imposing a nationwide overnight curfew and allowing the military to patrol the streets and take control of the prisons.

Bishops: 'Violence will not prevail'

In the face of the crisis, the Presidency of the Ecuadorian Bishops’ Conference (EEC) has issued a statement titled "Violence will not prevail” in which they called on citizens not to fall into panic and be conditioned by social media, while reminding them that the fight against gangs is not only the concern of the government but of every citizen.

While rejecting violence "from whatever side it may come," the EEC stated that in the current exceptional circumstances, Ecuadorians must stay united “with an eye towards the future and with the strength necessary to make Ecuador what it has always been: a place of peace, work, and fraternity."

The bishops further remarked that “any illegal activity, at any level of society and  state, must be considered a betrayal of the homeland, of the most sacred values of our Ecuadorian identity and of God, who will be the judge of our lives."

Appeal for unity, law and order to restore peace

According to the Ecuadorian bishops, it is, therefore, imperative to recover the values of fraternity and peace. “We are a country of faith. Ever since we were children, we have been taught that we are all brothers, calling God our Father," they said.

The bishops concluded by assuring their prayers for "the integrity of every good Ecuadorian and the stability of the State as a guarantee for peace to return to the country as soon as possible."

In an interview with the Italian Sir agency from Guayaquil, Bishop Antonio Crameri of Esmeraldas, president of Caritas Ecuador, confirmed that the situation in the country is critical to the point that he decided to suspend in-person Masses, as was done during the Covid-19 pandemic.