The operations, which began early this Wednesday, took place in the coastal provinces of Esmeraldas, El Oro, and Pichincha. According to official data, seven people were detained.

Despite the militarization and the state of emergency in Ecuador, the violence linked to organized crime does not stop, and the authorities claim that it has its origin in disputes between criminal gangs over drug territory.

On Tuesday, Interior Minister Monica Palencia corrected the figures on reducing crime in the country following the questions raised after stating that the reduction was 99%.

Palencia cleared up the Executive’s actions have achieved a 28% reduction in intentional homicides, which is equivalent to 1,109 fewer homicides compared to the previous year.

In a video shared on the institution’s social media, she also referred to a decrease in extortion and kidnapping.

Criticism arose on Tuesday when the official claimed that the drop in crime was 99%.

For citizens, however, the reality goes beyond the numbers, as several massacres, shootings, and murders have been recorded nationwide in the last few weeks, despite internal armed conflict, the state of emergency, and the military forces in the streets were declared.

iff/ro/nta