Venezuelan President Rejects Terrorist Acts in Ecuador

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Tuesday night rejected the wave of violence unleashed in Ecuador in recent days with the action of groups related to organized crime.

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In a statement on social networks, the president said, "I strongly reject the violence unleashed by Ecuadorian criminal gangs that put at risk the security and peace of our sister Republic."

Maduro also expressed the Venezuelan government's solidarity with the Ecuadorian people. "On behalf of Venezuela, our solidarity to the people and government of Ecuador in this fight against the scourge of organized crime," he said. 

The Venezuelan president condemned the "unacceptable terrorist acts" by Ecuadorian organized crime groups and assured that he trusts in the "prompt reestablishment of order and in the timely action of justice against the intellectual and material authors."

The South American country has experienced in the last hours a serious situation of violence in several of its cities such as car bombs, fires in gas stations, hostage taking, subjugation of penitentiary guides, emission of belligerent messages through social networks, among other serious crimes.

This Tuesday, the Ecuadorian president declared an internal armed conflict after a heavily armed commando occupied for a few hours a television station in the city of Guayaquil.

The chaos came despite Noboa had already declared on Monday night a state of emergency for 60 days, with curfew during the night and early morning.

Authorities and media reported an increase in violence in the Ecuadorian towns of Esmeraldas, El Oro, Guayas, Pichincha and Los Rios. According to the most recent reports on the situation, at least fourteen people were killed, including two policemen who were shot by criminals.