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50 Days of War in Ecuador: Is Noboa Taking Bukele’s Road?
President Daniel Noboa tightens his grip, his crackdown on violence is starting to show results as his popularity rises. But while new denunciations of human rights violations surface, the question of to what extent he is willing to follow the example of the President of El Salvador emerges.
By Fernando Medina, member of the #CONNECTASHub
The attack on TC was not an isolated event, it was the peak of a series of messages that organized crime delivered in less than 72 hours. Cornered, President Daniel Noboa declared a state of internal conflict, classified 22 gangs as terrorist organizations and commanded the Armed Forces and the Police to neutralize those organizations. From that moment on, the military became a symbol of security for the population which responded with an unprecedented support on social media.
During the first days, songs surfaced evoking patriotism and love for Ecuador. As well as videos of people giving out bottled water, soda and sandwiches to the military patrolling the streets. Kids even drew pictures and wrote letters to the soldiers. The sense of safety came back and people resumed their day-to-day life.
But, how did that happen? The presidential order to neutralize the so-called terrorists gave way to the detention of people on a daily basis by militaries and police officers. According to initial reports, in the first three days of internal conflict, 859 people were detained, and only 94 of them were accused of being terrorists. The figure has grown rapidly and by February 21, 9,210 people had been detained in Ecuador. As per the government, the group included 241 terrorists. But there are no official numbers of how many of the detainees remain behind bars.
The Thin Line of Human Rights
Any resemblance with the model of El Salvador is not a coincidence. In fact, the Ecuadorian government has publicly admitted that it has been advised by Salvadoran and Mexican experts.
As in the Central American country, military and police actions in Ecuador have prompted the reaction of human rights organizations. There are two major causes of concern. First, within prisons. In that respect, on February 10, a judge ordered the Ombudsman’s Office to verify if the military were torturing detainees.
The CFJC (Comite de Familiares por Justicia en Carceles) rang the judicial alarm. This organization was founded in the last two years, following the jail massacres that left an aftermath of over 500 dead inmates. Since 2019, the penitentiary system fell into the hands of criminal mafias, and cases of dismemberments, mutilations and incinerations in jails became infamous – to the inaction of the governments of Lenin Moreno and Guillermo Lasso. In fact, in the latter, it has been known that criminal mafias ordered murders from their cells. Reports reveal that extortion became a source of income for criminals in the country.
This came out in the open when the military entered the jails and put an end to the system of privileges of mafia structures, which included jacuzzis, weapons in their cells and forbidden luxuries. The soldiers brought upon rigid discipline rules. Images have gone viral of inmates in uniform and singing the national anthem. Inmates also take part in military-style drills and they have been forced to cut their hair.
But how true are the denunciations of the CFJC? The Ombudsman’s Office visited penitentiaries to verify the facts, but it hasn’t produced any reports yet. On the other hand, Noboa sent a conclusive message in response to those denunciations. “I’m right here, I’ll be here defending the integrity and honor of the Armed Forces and the Police, no ‘antipatriotic’ individual may say that we are violating any rights when we are protecting the rights of the majority,” Noboa said. His speech is very similar to that of President Nayib Bukele in El Salvador.
The Purge in the Streets
Military operations happen beyond jails. Social cleansing is also a concern of human rights organizations, especially due to the methods that the military and police officers have adopted to regain control.
Countless videos are posted on social media showing law enforcement agents hitting boys in disadvantaged neighborhoods considered dangerous. Images depict shirtless young men tied to military trucks. Agents force them to utter sentences while hitting them with branches or sticks. Other videos show naked men hitting each other commanded by militaries as punishment for breaking curfew (from 12:00 PM to 06:00 AM).
But instead of causing rejection, the videos have driven comments supporting these actions, based on the idea that it is necessary to recover the country’s safety. In a video, recorded by a member of the military, a carpenter gives away sticks to be used in these operations. These objects were branded with the words “human rights”.
In the meantime, Noboa’s perception among citizens has improved and soared to 80%, making him one of the most popular presidents in the region. Unlike the case of former President Guillermo Lasso, whose popularity levels ended next-to-last along with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte.
Gangs’ Marks
On top of it, Ecuadorian law enforcement have adopted the practice of using tattoos to identify members of gangs and terrorist groups. As in El Salvador, gangs in Ecuador have started marking their members with symbols such as tigers, wolves, eagles and crocodiles, among others.
And the State has made decisions accordingly, such as forbidding the entry of tattooed people to police training schools to avoid infiltration of mafias in their ranks. Whereas, the military in the street are making people remove their shirts to see if they have tattoos. Recently, a group of soldiers conducted a tattoo inspection in a public pool in Guayaquil.
In response, young people have opted to erase or cover up their tattoos. Places offering these services have reported being threatened by the mafia. “We have been told that if we erase the tattoos of their members, they’ll kill us or make us disappear,” says a tattoo artist from southern Guayaquil.
This has sounded the alarms of the Comite de Organismos de Derechos Humanos de Guayaquil, directed by Billy Navarrete. He says that he is concerned about the thin line drawn by the government with the new measures pertaining to human rights in recent months. Many people and family members have approached the center asking for help against assaults and arbitrary detentions.
In one of those cases, a mother denounced her son’s detention in January. The military took him from his home and he was found dead a week later. The Attorney General’s Office is investigating the events, but the woman begs her son’s death not to remain in impunity.
In these circumstances, Ecuador is getting ready for a new referendum to decide if the military gets more competences in the county’s safety. Does this mean that Noboa will follow Bukele’s path in becoming a sort of savior of society, regardless of what it takes? It is still too soon to say, but the crackdown’s positive effect on the polls appears to be very attractive for a man seeking reelection in over a year.