Ecuador: The red flag that Chile cannot ignore

El Líbero, August 11, 2023

Chile was one of the countries with the highest increase in homicides in 2022; that same year, the organized crime group Tren de Aragua expanded from Arica to Puerto Montt, and narcoculture took strong root in the country’s neighborhoods.

What happened this week in Ecuador is of extreme concern for a country like Chile. According to Insight Crime, Ecuadorians in 2021 experienced one of the highest increases in violence; in 2022, organized crime gangs emerged within the country’s prison system, which, through territorial disputes, heightened insecurity; now, a presidential candidate who based his campaign on the fight against corruption has been assassinated.

This should serve as a significant security alert, especially in the context of the parliamentary discussion on the fast-track legislative process. According to Insight Crime, Chile was one of the countries with the highest increase in homicides in 2022; that same year, the organized crime group Tren de Aragua expanded from Arica to Puerto Montt; in 2023, the prison service reported that as of June 30, the foreign inmate population represented 13.31%, with Tarapacá, Arica and Parinacota, and Antofagasta being the regions with the highest number of foreign prisoners in their jails; the gangs operating from within the prison system continue to increase in number, and narcoculture is taking strong root in the country’s neighborhoods.

Ecuador may be geographically distant, but its reality is closer than we think. If we maintain a status quo where organized crime is discussed solely from a domestic perspective, the situation in Ecuador could repeat itself sooner rather than later, highlighting the importance of having a deep debate on how to address this threat.

There is no doubt that institutional efforts to dismantle the cells of Tren de Aragua and combat drug trafficking are a significant contribution; however, this must occur within a context that integrates the national scenario with the regional one, as what happens in our country is related to the rapid arrival of that Latin American context to the streets of Chile.

In this sense, along with modernizing institutions to generate more efficient responses against crime, it is essential to discuss corruption. But we must have a serious conversation, as without addressing it, this type of criminality cannot permeate the State or exploit it for its illicit businesses.

Today, we may be discussing corruption in the context of foundation cases, but the problem is much deeper than that. Situations like this, or those experienced in some municipalities, are tremendously important signals for criminals. They demonstrate a vulnerable State, easy to buy and exploit. This is very attractive to these groups, who, once inside, have no ethical or moral qualms about eliminating those who seek to pursue them.

Today, the fight against corruption should be the overarching theme in the security debate. If we are not going to discuss the creation of a security architecture under which strategies and agencies are developed and coordinated, at the very least, let us talk about how to prevent corruption and improve the checks and balances that allow the State to function properly. It is this corruption that has opened the doors to organized crime in Latin America. Let us not be just another case; let us be the exception.

Pilar Lizana
Researcher, AthenaLab

Source: El Líbero