Govt Assures Indonesian Nationals Safe in Ecuador Amid Rising Gang Violence

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government of Ecuador declared a state of emergency on January 8 after armed gangs riots in Guayaquil. Indonesian Foreign Ministry on Thursday evening confirmed that no Indonesian nationals in the country have fallen victim to the situation.  

Indonesian Embassy in Quito recorded that the number of Indonesian nationals in Ecuador as of January 2024 amounts to 48 people. Half of them are working as Missionaries in remote areas outside of Guayaquil. Meanwhile, the rest are staff of the Indonesian Embassy and their families who reside in Quito.

The embassy specifically monitors the condition of an Indonesian citizen in Guayaquil, a woman who is registered living in Guayaquil. The woman is currently outside of Ecuador.

The Indonesian Embassy keeps communicating with the Indonesian nationals in Ecuador and prepares contingency plans to anticipate worsening situation.

Ecuador declared a state of emergency on Monday after a leader of a drug cartel in the country escaped from prison. The leader of the gang Los Choneros, Jose Adolfo Macias, also known as Fito, was reported missing on Sunday, January 7, from his cell in a high-security prison in Guayaquil.

Macias was convicted in 2011 to 34 years in prison for various crimes, including murder and drug trafficking. The Los Choneros is involved in a bloody feud with another criminal group with relation to cartels in Mexico and Colombia.

SUCI SEKARWATI

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