President Daniel Noboa warned judicial officials to collaborate with criminal groups that will also be considered part of the groups that the government declared as terrorists.
After almost two days of attacks and terrorist acts in more than a dozen provinces, President Daniel Noboa addressed the citizens through Radio Canela, a Quito radio station, on January 10, 2024.
The President said that “we are living in a very hard time,” but clarified that the Government is firm and warned that ” lukewarm governments are over.” And he added that “this wave of violence is not an accident, we were beginning to apply our plan of security”.
President Noboa’s warning was not only for judicial officials, but also for members of the National Police and the Armed Forces “who hinder any operation,” because they will be prosecuted for assisting terrorist groups.
When asked if Ecuador is at war, the Head of State responded: “practically, yes, we are in an armed conflict, not an international one, we are fighting for peace, against terrorist groups.”
Regarding the prisoners who have prison officers kidnapped, President Noboa warned that “we are in a state of war and we cannot give in to these terrorists,” so he assured them that they will not be able to pressure or bend the Government.
And he clarified that the military and not the Police will intervene in the prisons, because they are the ones who must act against military objectives. “We are doing everything possible and impossible to bring them all (the prison guides) safe and sound, but we cannot stop the war for that, because the State is at war in all the provinces.”
Therefore, he recalled that by changing the name of organized crime groups to terrorist groups, the measures that the State can take to confront them change and that, legally, the authorities must now adhere to international humanitarian law.
In addition, President Noboa clarified that this January 11, the Executive’s plans to start the construction of the two new maximum and super maximum-security prisons will continue.
The President also said that all the actions taken by the Government are part of a plan and that it was necessary to make the situation in the country transparent, regarding insecurity, and seek international allies. According to him, the important thing is to change the Ecuadorian context instead of pretending that nothing is happening in the country.
In this sense, Noboa explained that the United States ambassador, Michael Fitzpatrick, confirmed that his country will present an assistance package to collaborate with the Executive’s security plans.
President Noboa said that the people who are part of the groups that carried out the attacks throughout the country are now calling for respect for humanitarian law and adhering to the Geneva treaty.
And he criticized previous governments for not having taken measures against criminal groups. Therefore, he highlighted the actions under his command and that those now called terrorist groups have finally been identified, “with names and surnames.”
In the midst of this context, a total of 70 people have been detained throughout the country until the early hours of Wednesday, January 10, 2024, in the operations for attacks and terrorist acts carried out by the National Police, within the state of emergency that is being experienced. the country.
Finally, the President referred to comments about offers of support from other political figures, such as former presidential candidate Jan Topic; the former Minister of the Interior, José Serrano, and the former Minister of Government, María Paula Romo.
He told Topic that “he came fourth in the last elections, he has not had any political career, no war experience, nor has he been part of the armed forces.” He added that “part of the problems we have today began in his (José Serrano’s) time.”
And about Romo he commented that “she can say what she wants, offer what she wants, but I see her as very changeable, five days ago she was tearing up all the actions of the Government, that the Phoenix Plan did not exist.”
Popular consultation and referendum
“We have presented questions and accepted questions from other political groups,” said President Daniel Noboa about the 20 popular consultation and referendum questions sent to the Constitutional Court (CC).
But he warned that they will wait for the magistrates to rule on the proposals and then they will choose those that go on the ballot among the questions that are accepted.
The President said that he is including hard topics, such as extradition. But he added that social development and employment actions must also be carried out at the same time, to solve the problems of the country’s youth.