QUITO, May 30 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — Crimes and armed attacks continue in Ecuador, where homicides increased by 58 percent in the first four months of 2025 amid the security crisis.
Between January and April, the official number of violent deaths was 3,084, while in the same period in 2024 there were 1,951 such incidents.
Local media have reported armed attacks and violent incidents in recent days, mainly in coastal cities, which have left people dead and wounded.
If we do not focus on public policy that addresses kidnappings, extortion, threats such as drug trafficking, and illegal mining, the trend will be much greater, said Katherine Herrera, a security analyst consulted by the Teleamazonas channel.
She warned that if the trend continues, 2025 could end with more than 9,000 homicides.
Forty percent of the homicides in the first four months of this year have been reported in Guayaquil, Durán, and Samborondón, three municipalities in the coastal province of Guayas where several criminal gangs linked to drug trafficking operate and fight over ports and urban areas.
There are also the border areas of Esmeraldas and Carchi, in northern Ecuador, where crimes are linked to illegal mining and human trafficking.
Although the data is not encouraging, President Daniel Noboa decided to keep Interior Minister John Reimberg and Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo in their posts, responsible for leading the so-called Security Block alongside the police and the Armed Forces.
He added that “the progressive reduction of homicides will be a non-negotiable goal.” — NNN-PRENSA LATINA
