One person is murdered every 69 minutes and if this average continues for the rest of the year, the country could end 2023 with a bloody record of 7,607 homicides, said digital portal Primicias, which shared the chart and data from the Ministry of Health. Interior…
As of 2022, there were 4,603 violent deaths in Ecuador, so the increase in recent months would be 65%, and if compared to 2019, the increase would be 540%.
Published figures suggest the South American country will have a murder rate of 44.9 per 100,000 inhabitants by the end of December, which would make Ecuador the most violent country in Latin America.
Likewise, murder is now one of the most common causes of death in the country, even higher than illnesses like the flu, pneumonia and traffic accidents.
The security crisis is a major concern for citizens and will be a major challenge for the newly elected government led by Daniel Noboa.
Police are investigating more than a dozen violent deaths in the city of Yaguach in the coastal Guayas province this weekend.
On August 9, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency again after presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated as he left a campaign rally.
The current government claims the violence is the result of rampant drug trafficking and organized crime, although experts have pointed to other causes, such as rising poverty and a lack of opportunities for young people.
“Eighty-five percent of violent deaths occur in provinces considered drug trafficking routes, while nationwide 90 percent of these deaths are linked to organized crime,” Interior Minister Juan Zapata said on Monday.
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