Rioting in Ibarra

Please continue to pray for our country! Thankfully, The kidnappings have for the large part disappeared in the recent months, although we still hear of several missing children a month. But, it appears that after the lynching done on the coast in October of last year, the open air grab and run attempts have largely subsided.

As in any developing country, there have been a lot of issues boiling under the surface here, including the political unrest between several different parties, the corruptness of government officials, all the way from the police force (which is a government institution here) all the way up to the ex-president. These issues, as well as undocumented immigrants coming in, increase in crime (by over 100% in 2018) and the contradictory laws, rules and regulations regarding their police force and judicial system, have many of the Ecuadorian citizens ready to go up in arms at the drop of a hat.

Such was the case yesterday, in the City of Ibarra, halfway between the capital city of Quito, and the Colombian border. People in hordes out on the streets, rioting, breaking into any home or hotel that held Venezuelan Immigrants, throwing their belongings on the streets and burning them. Many of the Venezuelans are relocating further south, chased out by mobs with sticks and rocks, several of them beaten by the mob.

The reason? On Saturday night, an undocumented Venezuelan, (one of thousands who, because of the political unrest in their own country, are being permitted to come into the country without any documentation whatsoever, without even knowing if they are refugees, or are fleeing from what little justice there is in Venezuela.) held a young lady, his Ecuadorian girlfriend, with whom he had been fighting, hostage with a kitchen knife, for more than 90 minutes through the main streets of the city, while the crowd and armed police looked on, without daring to intervene.

The judicial system has recently, on more than half a dozen cases, condemned police officers to prison time, for doing their job. The most recent, this past week an officer was condemned for shooting an armed robber. The judicial system has gotten to such a point where even a video of a someone in the act of stealing is no longer enough to convict. Because of these issues, the police are afraid to make a decisive act, until it is too late.

Such was the case on Saturday evening. Armed officers, within 40 feet of the armed man and hostage, did nothing for 90 minutes. Even when the perpetrator declared that he would kill the woman, and himself, if they drew any closer, more than 10 officers drew the circle tighter around the man on the main street, without even drawing their weapons. The Venezuelan man, whom some now claim to have had a part in killing some officials back in Venezuela, stabbed the woman a number of times in her chest, torso and arm, as well as one police officer, before he was overwhelmed.

The young lady, who was four months pregnant, was rushed to the hospital, where she died of her wounds. The officer is in the hospital, but he will recover. The young Venezuelan man had to be rescued form the arms of the mob after he was overwhelmed by the police, who then where overwhelmed by the mob, and is now in custody awaiting trail.

A high ranking government official has condemned the lack of response on behalf of the police, who site that they are not allowed to use lethal force in these situations. A number of the officers present are currently in custody, awaiting trail.

Supposedly, the governor and police chief of the province are going to be replaced, and the minister of internal affairs has said that this year the police force will be equipped with non lethal weapons.

In the meantime, this has just brought to a head everyones anger and frustration about not being able to defend themselves, about so many undocumented foreigners in the country who are a part of robbing, thefts, gang activity, etc; as well as the inability of the police force to respond in an effective manner, because of the incompetence of the judicial system.

Please keep Ecuador in your prayers!!!