In the aftermath of the first round of the presidential elections in Ecuador, Helena Raspe, Latin America Officer at Misereor, explains:

"The election in Ecuador is drawing the attention of the global public to a country that is in the grip of corruption, drug trafficking and organised crime. Our project partners on the ground report how transnationally networked criminal organisations are fighting for control of the drug routes, particularly on the Ecuadorian coast, where cities such as Guayaquil have one of the highest murder rates in the world. Indigenous communities, farmers and human rights defenders are being threatened, persecuted and murdered. After the election, it will therefore be crucial whether the next government pursues a security strategy that puts human rights at the centre. Our project partners are asking the international community to further strengthen development cooperation, as local civil society actors would not be able to continue their work and protect vulnerable communities without support from Europe. Against this backdrop, we appeal to the German government to stand by Ecuadorian civil society more strongly now, also for security policy reasons."

Background:

Ecuador has become the most violent country in Latin America in just four years: The murder rate has risen from seven to 47 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. In the global cocaine trade, Ecuador is a hub for the storage and transit of the drug produced in the Andes region. Germany is currently experiencing a flood of cocaine: the high consumption of the drug in this country is therefore also a reason for serious human rights violations in Ecuador. To date, the Ecuadorian government has not been able to adequately tackle the crisis because it relies primarily on the military in the fight against drug-related crime. However, the authorities and companies themselves are closely intertwined with organised crime. The activities of the criminal networks have expanded into other illegal markets, such as illegal mining and the expropriation of land, leading to murders, extortion, kidnappings, forced recruitment and displacement.

For interview requests please contact:

Helena Raspe, Misereor consultant for Latin America in Berlin on the topics of human rights, organised crime and security

Irmgard Soentgen, Misereor advisor for Ecuador and Bolivia on the situation in Ecuador