The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, has convened this Wednesday the Council of Public and State Security (Cosepe) in view of the recent episodes of violence registered in the South American nation.
The Cosepe will meet first thing on Thursday and will evaluate the security strategy in the face of the acts of violence, while seeking to draw up a plan of action to deal with them, according to local newspaper ‘El Comercio’.
The meeting will be attended by both Lasso and the vice-president, Alfredo Borrero, as well as other representatives of state powers, such as the president of the National Assembly, Virgilio Saquicela, and the head of the National Court of Justice, Ivan Saquicela.
The Executive will be represented by the Secretary of Security, Diego Ordóñez; the Minister of Government, Francisco Jiménez; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Juan Carlos Holguín, and the Minister of Defense, Luis Lara. The heads of the Police and the Joint Command of the Armed Forces have also been summoned.
On Tuesday, Ecuador was the scene of a series of violent acts in the provinces of Guayas and Esmeraldas, both in the north, which have resulted in the death of at least five policemen and for which about thirty suspects have already been arrested.
After the violent day, Lasso announced the suspension of a visit to the United States and declared a state of emergency in both provinces, implementing a curfew which will be in force for the next 45 days.
