“The entire town feels like it is in a pandemic, locked up without being able to go out and enjoy our lives due to violence.”
That is how “Jorge” – not his real name – feels about his neighbourhood of Guayaquil, a city in southern Ecuador.
His father, Marcos Elías León Maruri, was kidnapped there by the Los Tiguerones gang.
A person is killed every two hours in Ecuador and seven are kidnapped daily, according to government figures.
That’s why security is the top issue for voters ahead of the first round of the presidential election on Sunday, in which incumbent Daniel Noboa is being challenged by 15 other candidates.
Whoever wins will be tasked with restoring security to the country, which has gone from being one of the safest to among the most dangerous in the region.
Read it all (Hat tip-BBC World News America).
Ecuador chooses president against backdrop of gang violence https://t.co/LGXIXTbUaa
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 7, 2025
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