Drug cartels are terrorizing Ecuador
By: Sebastian Southworth
Although the Ecuadorian president saw the country’s homicide rates increase ninefold, drug cartels hold news anchors hostage, and multiple prisoner gangs control their very own prisons, his plan is very promising. People can trust Noboa, the president of Ecuador, for a simple reason: although he was off to a shaky start, his approach to recognize members of drug cartels as terrorists is not only sensible but creates new opportunities of attack.
Under Naboa, Ecuadorian drug cartels have only been growing and becoming more dangerous, which leads to the impression that he is a failed president. The event incited domestic chaos originating from a criminal named Adolfo Macías, most commonly known as Fito. The influential cartel leader was held in prison, but he recently escaped, allowing his gang Los Choneros to resume their attacks. Currently, prisoners (most of whom are related with the drug trade) are keeping 158 prison guards and staff hostage across seven prisons. Additionally, thirteen attackers took control of news station TC Televisión during a live broadcast. Fortunately, no one was injured. These events are all a part of the cartels’ reaction to Noboa’s attempt to suppress the Ecuadorian drug trade. Evidently, Noboa is facing criticism as the public witnesses these events and assumes his policies are all failing. Alas, this is not the case.
Noboa’s plan is brilliant because it recognizes that Ecuador’s enemies are very similar to terrorist organizations. For instance, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was a terrorist organization prominent during the Troubles. During the Maze Prison escape, 38 IRA terrorists broke out in an organized escape resulting in the injury of 20 prison guards and the death of another. The similarities between the IRA’s prison escape and the cartels’ reveals that the cartel leaders are indeed similar to terrorists. Furthermore, the drug cartels’ prison escapes are much more complex and violent than even the IRA. Another parallel is when the terrorist organization Palestinian Liberation Front hijacked the MS Achille Lauro. Just like with TC Televisión, the PLF held hostages of the ship’s crew at gunpoint in an attempt to further their ambitions. Such a strategy is almost exclusively found in terrorism. There are even parallels between the Ecuadorian drug cartels and ISIS. The NCTC, DHS and FBI reported that ISIS has resorted to mass-arson to achieve their goals. In the village of Coca, drug cartels have also resorted to arson when they burned down a local nightclub. All of these similarities indicate that an approach dealing with the drug cartels as terrorists would likely be successful.
Treating the Ecuadorian cartels as terrorists allows Naboa to approach the situation in more ways than before, creating a more rapid and efficient response to the crisis. Drug cartels use guerilla warfare to fight. This means that conflict will occur near civilians. As seen when Noboa used the military to protect cities, Ecuadorian forces can suppress cartel members quicker than they could without military aid. The rise in cartel activity occurred immediately after the American military was pulled out of Ecuador. This means that military presence directly impacts cartel activity, which is yet another argument for a military response that otherwise wouldn’t be possible if cartels were not classified as terrorists. Since Ecuador is in a state of war, the government is allowed to impose curfew. Civilians of Ecuador report feeling safer as a result of the curfew. Classifying Ecuadorian cartels as terrorists allows the government to approach the crisis in more efficient ways.
Noboa is making up for his shortcomings because he classified Ecuadorian drug cartels as terrorist organizations, which allows him to utilize military forces to protect Ecuadorians. However, he is still facing backlash during a time where drug cartels are attempting to quash public support for the president. The future of Ecuador is looking promising, but nevertheless, many are questioning his abilities. Therefore, Noboa needs public support more than ever.
A screenshot of the live broadcast where an Ecuadorian drug cartel held the TC Televisión news anchors at gunpoint while the hostages pleaded for their lives
