Ecuador reels from murder of its youngest mayor amid worsening security crisis
In the streets of Ecuador, another murder has occurred. Police found the body of 27-year-old Brigitte Garcia. The woman was the youngest mayor in the country, ruling the canton of San Vicente in the Manabi province.
The body of Brigitte Garcia was found on Sunday morning in a rented SUV - reports "Onet". Along with the deceased woman, the body of a subordinate official, who was the director responsible for communication - Jairo Loora, was revealed.
The police determined that shots were fired from inside the vehicle. Personal items were found with the victims, which ruled out robbery as a motive – Onet reported, citing the website Primicias. The Ecuadorian government condemned the murder and stated that it is cooperating with the police and the prosecutor's office. Services offered condolences to the families.
I am at a loss for words, I am in shock, in Ecuador no one is safe. No one, while the miserable right-wing governments only live for parties and for show - Luisa Gonzalez, a former presidential candidate of Ecuador, wrote on Twitter.
Garcia belonged to the leftist Revolutionary Citizens' Party, of the former President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa. In the context of the 27-year-old's death, the media reminded of the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in August last year and a series of murders of other politicians.
State of emergency in Ecuador
Currently, Ecuador is one of the most dangerous countries in South America. The country borders Colombia and Peru, the two biggest cocaine producers in the world. Ecuador is one of the nodes used by criminals to transport drugs to Europe and the United States.
At the beginning of January, President Noboa declared a state of emergency in the country and sent the military to fight drug gangs, which he labelled as terrorist organizations - reports Onet. A curfew was implemented along with radical restrictions on movement.
According to authorities, since then, the rates of brutal crime have decreased. Website Primicias reports that this is the first murder since the state of emergency was declared.
