Six suspects arrested in connection with the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio are Colombian nationals and gang members, authorities have confirmed
Villavicencio, an anti-corruption campaigner and lawmaker who was outspoken about the violence caused by drug trafficking in the country, was shot dead at a campaign rally in the capital Quito on Wednesday. The killing of the 59-year-old came 10 days before the first round of the presidential election was set to take place. Villavicencio’s campaign had promised a crackdown on crime and corruption amid a deadly escalation of violence that has gripped Ecuador in recent years.
The Andean country, a relatively peaceful nation until a few years ago, is now plagued by a deteriorating security crisis fueled by drug trafficking and a turf war between rival criminal organizations. Violence has been most pronounced on Ecuador’s Pacific coast as criminal groups battle to control and distribute narcotics, primarily cocaine. The country has also lost control of its overcrowded prisons, which are often ruled by criminal gangs.
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